[Diabetic retinopathy: documentation, evaluation of its course and possibilities of treatment by photocoagulation]

Optimal documentation of retinal lesions by panorama fundus photographs is required for evaluation of the course of diabetic retinopathy (DR). The data are prepared for automatic storage and computation. The natural course of DR is occasionally characterized by remarkable spontaneous remissions. Therefore, unilateral treatment is needed to evaluate the efficacy of photocoagulation. The following preliminary results on 215 patients treated unilaterally with Xenon photocoagulation, and followed up for 6 months to 6 years, were statistically significant: marked decrease of intra- and epiretinal vessel new formations, prophylaxis of retinal neovascularization and vitreous hemorrhages, preservation of the macula and retention of visual acuity in diabetics below 60 years of age. The unpredictable rate of progression of DR in individual cases is responsible for occasional failures of photocoagulation.