Exudative age-related macular degeneration in patients with diabetic retinopathy and its relation to retinal laser photocoagulation

Abstract

Patients treated by laser photocoagulation for diabetic retinopathy are less prone to develop the exudative form of age-related macular degeneration.

Characteristics of age-related macular degeneration in patients with diabetic retinopathy

“…In addition, Proctor and Ambati [16] reported that in the USA the prevalence of eyes with both neovascular AMD and DR (0.2%) was significantly lower than in eyes with non-DR (0.8%). These findings support an earlier study that also reported a lower prevalence of exudative AMD in diabetic patients with DR than in diabetics without retinopathy [17]. These observations indicate that the prevalence of AMD appears to be lower in diabetic patients especially in those with DR, than in the general population [15][16][17].…”

“…It has also been reported that exudative AMD was not observed in 431 patients with DR treated with laser photocoagulation (0%), but was diagnosed in 3.3% of 151 nonlaser-treated patients [17]. The authors concluded that patients treated for DR by laser photocoagulation are less likely to develop AMD.…”

Treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration in patients with diabetes

“…In a different study (Zylbermann et al 1997), the prevalence of neovascular AMD in patients with diabetic retinopathy was only 0.86%, which is lower than the prevalence in the general population. Furthermore, the investigators reported that patients treated with laser photocoagulation for diabetic retinopathy are less prone to the development of neovascular AMD.…”

Spare the rod and spoil the eye

“…In people with type 2 diabetes ARM occurs at a similar frequency to normal controls. 97 However, after panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) there is a marked reduction in the prevalence of wet and dry ARMD 98 and there is much anecdotal evidence to the same effect. All this suggests that an important factor in the development of ARM may be a relative anoxia in the outer part of the retina/RPE complex.…”