DIABETIC-RETINOPATHY - METHODOLOGIES IN PRACTICE

In France, 20 % of patients with diabetes are monitored by diabetologists, and of these 88 % are screened for retinopathy by fundal examination with dilation of pupils and 78 % by fluorescein angiography. Colour retinal photography is performed in 24 % of cases. Eye examination is performed every year in 85 % of patients. Diabetic retinopathy is generally considered to be a vascular disease causing loss of vision by macular oedema, vitreous haemorrhage or retinal detachment. However, it may also be a neurosensory disorder, with functional changes occurring before anatomical vascular abnormalities. These include changes in colour vision, contrast sensitivity, dark adaption, visual-evoked potentials, electroretinography, nyctometry, and fluorometry. The majority of these methods have a predictive value for the late onset of retinopathy in diabetic patients.