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The changes of the retinal layers in diabetic patients without retinopathy
Author(s) -
Ferreira J.,
Costa L.,
Proença R.,
Vicente A.,
Cunha J.P.,
Abegão Pinto L.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2015.0090
Subject(s) - microperimetry , retinal , diabetic retinopathy , medicine , ophthalmology , optical coherence tomography , retina , ophthalmoscopy , neurovascular bundle , abnormality , diabetes mellitus , pathology , neuroscience , biology , endocrinology , psychiatry
Summary Diabetic retinopathy is considered to be a neurovascular disease. But in fact, retinal neurodegeneration is present before any microcirculatory abnormalities can be detected in ophthalmoscopic examination. We know this from functional studies documenting electroretinogram abnormalities, loss of dark adaptation, contrast sensitivity and color vision and abnormal microperimetry occur before any vascular abnormality is detected. Novel imaging devices have allowed this pre‐vascular damage to be quantified in a non‐invasive and reproducible way using spectral domain optical coherence tomography ( SD ‐ OCT ) that allows in vivo retinal layer thickness measurement. The extent to which this new technology can be used in the clinical setting for early screening in diabetic retinopathy will be the focus of this lecture. The review of the state of the art in this exciting new field of study may prove valuable in the management of this condition.