[Efficacy of vitreorretinal surgery to improve best corrected visual acuity in diabetics with retinopathy]

complications of proliferative diabetic retinopathy require surgical treatment. In 2007 Flaxel reported visual improvement after vitreoretinal surgery in 37% of Latino diabetics; in our country it is estimated that a higher proportion of patients improves, but this has not been documented.

to identify the efficacy of vitreoretinal surgery for improving best corrected visual acuity, in diabetic patients treated at a hospital in Mexico City.

an observational, longitudinal, retrospective, descriptive study was conducted in diabetics who underwent vitreoretinal surgery (2007-2010) with one year follow-up. Visual acuity was measured before surgery and one year after, and it was registered when the retinopexy orphacoemulsification was performed, or silicone tamponade wasused. The proportions and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of patients whose visual acuity improved, did not change or worsened, were compared with those reported by Flaxel in Latino patients (χ(2), relative risk [RR]).

63 patients, mean age 58.5 ± 11.6 years, 26 with retinal detachment (41.3%), phacoemulsification was performed in 50 (79.4%), and silicone was used in 27 (42.9%). BCVA worsened in 12 patients (19%), did not change in 5 (8%) and improved in 46 (73%, 95% CI 62-84); the latter proportion exceeded that reported by Flaxel (p = 0.0005, RR 1.97, 95% CI 1.25-3.1).

although the difference was not clinically significant, the efficacy of vitreoretinal surgery to improve visual acuity in the sample was consistently higher than that reported by Flaxel in Latinos, and did not vary from other studies. These results do not support an association between an ethnic group and a lower surgical efficacy.