[Current possibilities in visualization of retinal periphery in diabetic retinopathy]

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is an important, socially significant complication of diabetes mellitus that leads to irreversible loss of vision. This article reviews the studies of peripheral changes in DR, different methods used in its diagnostics, monitoring and assessment of therapeutic effects. The article contains detailed examination of the modern widefield imaging methods that allow studying the middle and extreme periphery of the retina and help obtain a wide range of DR biomarkers. Of greatest interest in this matter is optical coherence tomography angiography due to possibility of detailed non-invasive assessment of the condition of retinal microvasculature, precise determination of the area and visualization of the sites of neovascularization and non-perfused regions of the retina. Quantitative characteristics of these changes serve as important diagnostic and prognostic visual biomarkers of DR.