Structural and functional findings in patients with moderate diabetic retinopathy

Abstract

Purpose To evaluate structural and functional ocular changes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and moderate diabetic retinopathy (DR) without apparent diabetic macular edema (DME) assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and microperimetry. Methods This was a single-center cross-sectional descriptive study for which 75 healthy controls and 48 DM2 patients with moderate DR were included after applying exclusion criteria (one eye per patient was included). All eyes underwent a complete ophthalmic examination (axial length, macular imaging with swept-source OCT, and MAIA microperimetry). Macular thicknesses, ganglion cell complex (GCC) thicknesses, and central retinal sensitivity were compared between groups, and the relationships between the OCT and microperimetry parameters were evaluated. Results Macular thickness was similar in both groups (242.17 ± 35.0 in the DM2 group vs 260.64 ± 73.9 in the control group). There was a diminution in the parafoveal area thickness in the DM2 group in the GCC complex. Retinal sensitivity was reduced in all sectors in the DM2 group. The central global value was 24.01 ± 5.7 in the DM2 group and 27.31 ± 2.7 in the control group (p < 0.001). Macular integrity was 80.89 ± 26.4 vs 64.70 ± 28.3 (p < 0.001) and total mean threshold was 23.90 ± 4.9 vs 26.48 ± 2.6 (p < 0.001) in the DM2 and control group, respectively. Moderate correlations were detected between the central sector of MAIA microperimetry and retina total central thickness (− 0.347; p = 0.0035). Age, visual acuity, and hemoglobin A1c levels also correlated with retinal sensitivity. Conclusion Macular GCC thickness and central retinal sensitivity were reduced in patients with moderate DR without DME, suggesting the presence of macular neurodegeneration.

Microperimetry in Retinal Diseases

“…These important findings suggested that early neuronal loss occurs in diabetes, even in individuals without DR. Similar structural and functional correlations were also reported in patients with various severities of DR 74…”

“…73 These important findings suggested that early neuronal loss occurs in diabetes, even in individuals without DR. Similar structural and functional correlations were also reported in patients with various severities of DR. 74 The advantage of MP in correlating the fundus findings to retinal function can be further exploited by comparing the findings with the OCTA findings. In addition to assessing the global function, zonal and local correlations could also be evaluated in detail, thus offering point-to-point structuralfunctional correlations.…”

Measuring of retina function using microperimetry in diabetic retinopathy

“…We read with interest the paper from Boned-Murillo et al [1] regarding the structural and functional findings in patients with moderate diabetic retinopathy in which authors state that using the MAIA microperimetry system (MAIA; Centervue, Padova, Italy), the retinal sensitivity (RS) was reduced in all sectors in the diabetic retinopathy (DR) group and the central global value was 24.01 ± 5.7 dB in the DR group and 27.31 ± 2.7 dB in the control group (p < 0.001).…”

Trends in research related to ophthalmic microperimetry from 1992 to 2022: A bibliometric analysis and knowledge graph study

“…Microperimetry was widely utilized in the field of central serous chorioretinopathy ( 5 ), central retinal vein occlusion ( 6 ), branch retinal vein occlusion ( 7 ), diabetic retinopathy ( 8 ), macular degeneration ( 9 ), etc.…”