Correlation of retinal sensitivity measured with fundus-related microperimetry to visual acuity and retinal thickness in eyes with diabetic macular edema.

AIM

To determine whether significant correlations exist between retinal sensitivity measured by fundus-related microperimetry and the visual acuity and the foveal thickness measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME).

METHODS

A retrospective chart review of 32 eyes with DME and 17 normal healthy eyes that had undergone fundus-related microperimetry and OCT. The macular sensitivity was measured using the recently introduced fundus-related microperimeter, Micro Perimeter 1. The mean retinal sensitivities within the central 2 degrees and 10 degrees were correlated with the best-corrected visual acuity and OCT-measured foveal retinal thickness.

RESULTS

The mean sensitivities in the central 2 degrees and 10 degrees were significantly lower in patients with DME than in normal subjects (P<0.0001). The mean retinal sensitivities in the central 2 degrees and 10 degrees were inversely correlated with visual acuity (r(2)=0.623, P<0.0001; r(2)=0.581, P<0.0001) and foveal thickness (r(2)=0.581, P<0.0001; r(2)=0.551, P<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The mean retinal sensitivities measured with fundus-related microperimetry were significantly lower in eyes with DME than in normal eyes. Because a significant correlation of the microperimeter-determined retinal sensitivity to visual acuity and foveal thickness was observed, the retinal sensitivities obtained by fundus-related microperimetry may be another measure that can be used to assess the effects of DME.