Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Abstract Background: Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a leading cause of visual impairment in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR), primarily due to retinal thickening and fluid accumulation at the macula. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has emerged as the imaging modality of choice for evaluating structural changes in DME. Objectives: To assess the correlation between best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and OCT-derived biomarkers in patients with clinically diagnosed DME. Methods: A prospective, analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted over 18 months involving 116 eyes diagnosed with DME at a tertiary care center. Patients underwent detailed ophthalmologic examination including BCVA assessment and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Morphological features such as central macular thickness (CMT), cystoid macular edema (CME), spongiform edema (SE), ellipsoid zone (EZ) integrity, and others were documented. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Results: CME was the most significant OCT biomarker correlating with decreased BCVA ( p < 0.01). Spongiform edema showed borderline significance ( p = 0.05). Outer retinal layer disruption, disorganization of retinal inner layers (DRIL), and tractional abnormalities indicated a trend toward poorer best corrected visual acuity (BCVA). CMT did not demonstrate a statistically significant correlation with BCVA ( p = 0.17). Conclusion: Structural OCT features such as CME, spongiform changes, and outer retinal integrity are more predictive of visual function in DME than CMT alone. Incorporating detailed biomarker evaluation enhances clinical decision-making.
Yadav et al. (Thu,) studied this question.