Abstract Purpose: To study the effect of glycemic control on patients with diabetic maculopathy who are treated with grid laser. Methods: It is a prospective observational study in which patients with diabetic maculopathy were selected, and Central subfield thickness (CST) was measured by Optical coherence tomography (OCT), and these patients were treated with grid laser and followed up 1 month and 6 months post-procedure, and the visual outcomes were compared with the glycemic control measured by HbA1C . This 1 year-long study was conducted from 01 March, 2023, to 29 February 2024, in the Ophthalmology department of our hospital. Results: This study analyzed 70 patients aged between 41 and 60 years. 48.57% had diabetes for 6–10 years, and 10% had diabetes for more than 10 years. In patients with severe non proliferative diabetic retinopathy with clinically significant macular edema, 57.14% had diabetes for 6–10 years, 23.81% had diabetes for more than 10 years, and 19.05% had diabetes for less than 5 years. 65.71% of patients had HbA1c ≤7%, and 34.3% had HbA1c of more than 7%. Both the groups showed significant improvements in visual acuity and central subfield thickness over 6 months after grid laser treatment, though the improvements were less pronounced in patients with HbA1c more than 7%. Conclusion: This study, which compared two groups with varying levels of glycemic control, highlights the importance of maintaining proper glycemic control for optimal visual recovery 6 months after grid laser treatment. Therefore, maintaining HbA1c levels within normal limits following grid laser treatment ensures the most significant visual recovery for patients. Grid laser photocoagulation still holds a significant place in diabetic maculopathy management by providing long term anatomical stabilization.
Nandhini et al. (Thu,) studied this question.