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Retinopathy, Diabetic

Richard W Allinson, M.D. and Hunter Grey, Doctor of Optometry Reviewed 05/2023
 


BASICS

DESCRIPTION

  • Most patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) will develop diabetic retinopathy (DR). It is the leading cause of new cases of legal blindness among residents in the United States between...

DIAGNOSIS

PHYSICAL EXAM

  • Eye exam: measurement of visual acuity and documentation of the status of the iris, lens, vitreous, and fundus

  • NPDR (background)

    • Microaneurysms

    • Intraretinal hemorrhage

    • Lipid deposit...

TREATMENT

GENERAL MEASURES

  • The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) recommended that for most patients with T1DM with insulin-dependent DM, blood glucose levels should be as close to the non...

ONGOING CARE

FOLLOW-UP RECOMMENDATIONS

Patient Monitoring

Scheduled ophthalmologic eye exams 
  • Yearly follow-up if no retinopathy

  • Every 6 months with background DR

  • At least every 3 to 4 months with pre-PDR

  • E...

REFERENCES

1
Chiang J-F, Sun M-H, Chen K-J, et al. Association between obstructive sleep apnea and diabetic macular edema in patients with type 2 diabetes. Am J Ophthalmol. 2021;226:217-225.
2
Maturi RK,...

CODES

ICD10

  • E11.319 Type 2 diabetes mellitus with unspecified diabetic retinopathy without macular edema

  • E10.319 Type 1 diabetes mellitus with unspecified diabetic retinopathy without macular edema

  • E10.3...

CLINICAL PEARLS

  • Schedule yearly ophthalmologic eye exams.

  • Options for the treatment of diabetic macular edema include focal laser treatment, intravitreal triamcinolone, intravitreal ranibizumab, intrav...

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