Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 23, 2026
Regulatory T cells: Therapeutic Potential for Treating Transplant Rejection and Type I Diabetes
Published on: August 20, 2007
Atrophy of the central neuroretina in patients treated for diabetic macular edema
Sonja G Karst1, Magdalena Schuster1, Christoph Mitsch1
1Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Purpose:
To examine the prevalence of central retinal atrophy in patients treated for diabetic macular edema (DME) in a clinical setting.
Methods:
Retrospective data analysis of patients with DME, focusing on those who developed central retinal thinning after DME treatment at the Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University Vienna. Patient characteristics and clinical data including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), spectral domain optical coherence tomography and fluorescence angiography images were reviewed and DME treatment strategies analysed using descriptive statistics. The correlation between visual acuity and ocular, systemic or DME treatment factors was calculated using linear regression models and ancovas.
Results:
A total of 6684 outpatient visits by 1437 patients with diabetes were analysed. Out of 149 patients, who had had a central subfield thickness (CST) below 200 μm, 32 (36 eyes) had previously been diagnosed with a centre involving DME with an average CST of 473 ± 103 μm and average visual acuity of 0.62 ± 0.44 logMAR at first presentation. At the time of central atrophy, 29 (81%) out of 36 eyes had a history of laser treatment, 11 (31%) a vitrectomy, 32 (88%) repeated intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF; mean 5.3 ± 3.8) and 22 (61%) intravitreal corticosteroid injections (mean 2.5 ± 2.7). Visual function (0.67 ± 0.43 logMAR) at the time of atrophy was not significantly correlated to central retinal thickness (191 ± 7 μm) or any other ocular, systemic or treatment factors.
Conclusions:
Only 4% of patients treated for DME developed central retinal thinning in our observation period. On average, our atrophy patients had higher CST and lower BCVA when they first presented with DME compared to the overall DME cohort, and they received a combination of intravitreal injections and laser for DME treatment. Central retinal atrophy might not be attributed to excessive use of intravitreally applied anti-VEGF or any other DME therapy alone.
More Related Videos
07:59Bedside Ultrasound for Guiding Fluid Removal in Patients with Pulmonary Edema: The Reverse-FALLS Protocol
Published on: July 28, 2018
04:09Prospective, Randomized, and Controlled Study of a Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell Injection for Treating Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Published on: March 3, 2023
Related Concept Videos
01:25The Central Dogma
01:20The Central Dogma
RNA is the Missing Link Between DNA and Proteins
In the early 1900s, scientists discovered that DNA stores all the information needed for cellular functions and that proteins perform most of these functions. However, the mechanisms of converting genetic information into functional proteins remained unknown for many years. Initially, it was believed that a single gene is...
02:16Measures of Central Tendency
01:20Pathophysiology of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility,...
01:21Trait Centrality
01:14What is Central Tendency?
The central tendency is the most conventionally used data characteristic. It is a...