Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most prevalent microvascular complication of diabetes. Panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) is the established treatment for mitigating severe visual impairment resulting from proliferative DR.
Objective: This study aims to investigate the impact of PRP on the macular region in patients with DR, utilizing optical coherence tomography (OCT) for assessment.
Design: An experimental study was meticulously designed, implementing PRP as the primary intervention.
Setting: The investigation was conducted within the Department of Ophthalmology at the Affiliated Huaian No.1 People's Hospital, Huai'an, Jiangsu, China.
Participants: A total of 120 participants diagnosed with DR and undergoing treatment at our hospital were enrolled in the study.
Interventions: The participants were randomly assigned to either the control group (CG, n = 60) or the study group (SG, n = 60). The CG received conventional drug treatment involving oral iodized lecithin, while the SG received PRP. OCT was employed to monitor changes in macular fovea volume and macular retinal thickness.
Primary outcome measures: Evaluation criteria encompassed clinical efficacy, macular fovea volume, macular retinal thickness, IL-6 and VEGF levels, incidence of adverse reactions, and quality of life in both groups.
Results: The study resulted in a higher total effective rate in the SG (96.67%) compared to the CG (80.00%) (χ2 = 8.09, P < .05). Post-treatment, reductions were observed in macular fovea volume and macular retinal thickness, with significantly lower SG values than CG values (P < .05). Both serum IL-6 and VEGF levels exhibited reductions in both groups after treatment, with the SG displaying a more significant decrease compared to the CG (P < .05). The occurrence of adverse reactions significantly decreased in the SG relative to the CG (P < .05). Quality of life scores for the SG was notably elevated compared to the CG (P < .05).
Conclusions: PRP emerges as a highly valuable approach in the management of DR. It contributes to retinal thickness improvement within the macular region and inflammation reduction, and also enhances therapeutic outcomes, minimizes adverse reactions, and optimizes patients' quality of life. These findings warrant further clinical adoption and widespread promotion.