Retina spotlight: Diabetic retinopathy - Preferred practice patterns

The management of diabetic retinopathy (DR) has always been a right combination of medical and surgical interventions, influenced by various landmark international clinical trials and treatment guidelines as proposed by various bodies such as the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, the International Council of Ophthalmology, and the All India Ophthalmological Society to name a few. This article aims to share the various best practices, presently being followed by senior vitreoretinal surgeons, both nationally and internationally, in managing DR, as we are experiencing a paradigm shift in the investigative modalities and treatment regimens, as compared to those which were followed, just a decade ago. A literature search was conducted using the various keywords, for the years 1980–2017 that included pertinent information from the review of more than 3537 citations collectively, using PubMed, Medline, and Hinari databases, which included comprehensive and systematic literature review and meta-analysis reports. Articles were included, only if they contributed new information about the treatment of DR, techniques in widespread clinical use and excluded those related to techniques that are considered experimental and redundant. Studies with follow-up of <18 months were excluded from this review. The relevant articles were thoroughly analyzed, with each being rated, based on the strength of the study design and weight of evidence.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-SA

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