Purpose: To assess short-term alterations in retinal nerve fibre layer thickness and Humphrey Visual field (VF) changes after panretinal photocoagulation in diabetic retinopathy. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study included 40 eyes of 39 patients requiring panretinal photocoagulation (PRP). All patients underwent frequency-doubled Nd:YAG (532 nm) PRP in two sittings. retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness using optical coherence tomography and Humphrey 30-2 SITA Standard visual fields were recorded at baseline, 1 week, 4 weeks and 12 weeks post-PRP. Mean deviation (MD) and pattern standard deviation (PSD) were analysed. Statistical significance was assessed using a paired t -test and ANOVA. Results: Mean baseline RNFL thickness was 89.37 ± 13.13 µm. A significant increase was observed at 1 week (97.47 µm, P < 0.05), 4 weeks (97.20 µm, P < 0.05) and 12 weeks (95.32 µm, P < 0.05). VF sensitivity worsened significantly: baseline MD −7.32 dB declined to −8.50 dB at 1 week and remained depressed at 4 weeks (−8.53 dB) and 12 weeks (−8.51 dB). PSD increased from 5.05 dB to 5.54 dB at 1 week and remained significantly elevated through 12 weeks. Poor glycaemic control correlated with thinner baseline RNFL and worse VF indices. Conclusion: PRP causes a transient increase in RNFL thickness during the first 12 weeks, likely due to post-laser inflammatory oedema. Visual field sensitivity shows early and persistent depression following PRP. Age and poor diabetic control independently contribute to lower baseline RNFL and visual field performance. Judicious titration of laser energy may minimise post-treatment functional loss.
Tinna et al. (Wed,) studied this question.