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©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Diabetes. Apr 15, 2015; 6(3): 489-499
Published online Apr 15, 2015. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v6.i3.489
Published online Apr 15, 2015. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v6.i3.489
Diabetic retinopathy - ocular complications of diabetes mellitus
Martin M Nentwich, Michael W Ulbig, Department of Ophthalmology, Ludwig-Maximilians University, 80336 Munich, Germany
Author contributions: Nentwich MM and Ulbig MW contributed to this paper.
Conflict-of-interest: None.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Dr. Martin M Nentwich, Department of Ophthalmology, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Mathildenstr 8, 80336 Munich, Germany. martin.nentwich@med.uni-muenchen.de
Telephone: +49-89-440053811 Fax: +49-89-440054569
Received: July 17, 2014
Peer-review started: July 17, 2014
First decision: November 27, 2014
Revised: January 3, 2015
Accepted: January 18, 2015
Article in press: January 20, 2015
Published online: April 15, 2015
Peer-review started: July 17, 2014
First decision: November 27, 2014
Revised: January 3, 2015
Accepted: January 18, 2015
Article in press: January 20, 2015
Published online: April 15, 2015
Core Tip
Core tip: Diabetic retinopathy is a potentially blinding complication of diabetes mellitus. In patients with diabetes, regular retinal exams are essential. While laser photocoagulation is effective, if performed in time, advanced stages of diabetic retinopathy need to be treated by vitreo-retinal surgery and have limited visual prognosis. Even though new therapeutic options such as intravitreal medical therapy and sutureless pars-plana vitrectomy have improved ophthalmic care of patients with diabetes, interdisciplinary care of these patients is essential. Good metabolic and blood pressure control is indispensable for reducing the risk of ophthalmic complications.