Overview of diabetic macular edema

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a rapidly growing epidemic in the United States, and it is expected to affect 592 million individuals within the next 20 years. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME) are the 2 most common ophthalmic complications of DM. DR is the leading cause of blindness among working-age adults around the world, and development of DR is tied to DM disease duration. With the only identifier of early markers of DR being a complete ophthalmic exam, early signs of the disease are asymptomatic. Yearly, or at least every other year, ophthalmic exams are recommended for all patients with DM; but often, individuals with DM have not undergone screening exams and do not have regular eye exams until vision loss has occurred. With spending estimates of $490 million to treat the vision complications of DM, it is clear that DR and DME impose a substantial burden for patients, caregivers, and healthcare systems.