DIABETIC MACULAR EDEMA IN ASSOCIATION WITH DIABETIC RETINOPATHY IN PATIENTS OF TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

Diabetic Retinopathy is an important cause of blindness with diabetic macular edema(DME) affecting 15% of patients 15yrs after diagnosis. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus(DM) is expected to approximately double globally between 2000 and 2030. The burden of DME is likely to increase as prevalence of DM is expected to rise by 50% globally, from 2000 to 2030. Therefore, is a major cause of concern. To study diabetic macular edema prevalence and pattern in association with severity of diabetic retinopathy in patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus. 300 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were included in anobservational cross sectional study. Clinical assessment was done by recording Visual acuity by Snellen's drum test, slit lamp examination, direct and indirect ophthalmoscope, fundus examination with +90 D lens, Goldman applanation tonometry, gonioscopy, Cirrus SD-OCTmacula and fundus photography. Among 600 eyes, prevalence of DME was 14.0% and 24.3% in NPDR and PDR eyes respectively. Statistically, this difference was not significant (p=0.226).Among the categories of diabetic retinopathy, a significant increase in prevalence of DME was observed with increasing severity of NPDR (p<0.001). Among 87 eyes with DME, the pattern of DME was 59.8% with diffuse retinal thickening, 21.8% with cystoids macular edema and 18.4% with serous retinal detachment. Prevalence of DME was more in NPDR group increasing with severity of NPDR. The prevalence of DME pattern of diffused retinal thickening was most followed by cystoid macular edema and serous retinal detachment among those with diabetic retinopathy.