Yellow micropulse laser in diabetic macular edema: a short-term pilot study

To evaluate the effects of yellow micropulse laser in eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME).

In this retrospective interventional case series, 22 eyes of 17 patients with visual impairment secondary to persistent DME received one single session of yellow micropulse laser. Patients were divided into 2 groups: group 1, naive eyes; and group 2, previously treated eyes. Main outcome measures included changes in central retinal thickness (CRT) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). Possible atrophic changes of the retinal pigment epithelium as a result of yellow micropulse laser application were evaluated with fundus autofluorescence.

At baseline, the mean logMAR BCVA was 0.39 ± 0.18 and the mean CRT was 361.8 ± 70.95. The mean BCVA improved to 0.31 ± 0.19 (p = 0.0091) and 0.31 ± 0.19 (p = 0.0078) at 3 and 6 months of follow-up, respectively. The mean CRT improved to 331.3 ± 48.46 (p<0.0001) and 328.1 ± 53.25 (p<0.0001) at 3 and 6 months of follow-up. Subgroup analysis showed that only in naive eyes was there a beneficial effect on visual acuity and central macular thickness.

In eyes with DME, yellow micropulse laser produces a statistically significant improvement in BCVA and CRT in the short term.