Comparison of anatomical and functional outcomes of vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling in recalcitrant diabetic macular edema with and without traction in Indian patients.

PURPOSE: To study and compare the outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with the internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling in the eyes with recalcitrant diabetic macular edema (DME) with and without vitreomacular traction. METHODS: A comparative prospective interventional study was undertaken in which group 1 included 45 eyes of 45 patients with DME with vitreomacular tractional component and group 2 included 45 eyes of 45 patients with recalcitrant DME without a tractional component. Both groups underwent standard PPV with ILM peeling. All the patients were followed up for a minimum of 6 months. The parameters evaluated were changes in the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) parameters, and occurrence of any intraoperative/postoperative surgical complication. RESULTS: The mean CMT improved significantly from 540.6 and 490.2 µm at the baseline to 292.5 and 270.6 µm at 6 months in groups 1 and 2, respectively (P < 0.001). The mean BCVA logMAR improved from 0.78 ± 0.21 to 0.62 ± 0.22 in group 1 and 0.84 ± 0.19 to 0.65 ± 0.21 in group 2 at 6 months follow-up which was not statistically significant. The improvement in the mfERG was seen in group 2 as a significant increase in P1 wave amplitude in ring 2 (2-5°) (P < 0.004) and a significant decrease in P 1 wave implicit time in ring 1 (central 2°) (P < 0.001). None of the eyes suffered from the loss of BCVA or any major surgical complication in either group. CONCLUSION: PPV in recalcitrant DME provides good anatomical outcomes and the results are comparable in DME with and without a tractional component.

Application of 5G Technology to Conduct Real-Time Teleretinal Laser Photocoagulation for the Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy.

Importance: Interest in teleophthalmology has been growing, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The advent of fifth-generation (5G) wireless systems has the potential to revolutionize teleophthalmology, but these systems have not previously been leveraged to conduct therapeutic telemedicine in the ophthalmology field. Objective: To assess the feasibility of 5G real-time laser photocoagulation as a telemedicine-based treatment for diabetic retinopathy (DR). Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a prospective study involving a retinal specialist from the Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing, China, who performed online 5G real-time navigated retinal laser photocoagulation to treat participants with proliferative or severe nonproliferative DR who had been recruited in the Huzhou First People's Hospital in Zhejiang Province, China, located 1200 km from Beijing from October 2019 to July 2020. Interventions: These teleretinal DR and laser management procedures were conducted using a teleophthalmology platform that used the videoconference platform for teleconsultation, after which telelaser planning and intervention were conducted with a laser system and a platform for remote computer control, which were connected via 5G networks. Main Outcomes and Measures: Diabetic eye prognosis and the real-time laser therapy transmission speed were evaluated. Results: A total of 6 participants (9 eyes) were included. Six eyes were treated via panretinal photocoagulation alone, while 1 eye underwent focal/grid photocoagulation and 2 eyes underwent both panretinal photocoagulation and focal/grid photocoagulation. The mean (SD) age was 53.7 (13.6) years (range, 32-67 years). The mean (SD) duration of diabetes was 14.3 (6.4) years (range, 3-20 years). The mean (SD) logMAR at baseline was 0.32 (0.20) (20/30 Snellen equivalent). Retinal telephotocoagulation operations were performed on all eyes without any noticeable delay during treatment. The mean (SD) number of panretinal photocoagulation laser spots per eye in 1 session was 913 (243). Conclusions and Relevance: This study introduces a novel teleophthalmology paradigm to treat DR at a distance. Applying novel technologies may continue to ensure that remote patients with DR and other conditions have access to essential health care. Further studies will be needed to compare this approach with the current standard of care to determine whether visual acuity or safety outcomes differ.