Diabetic maculopathy and glaucoma.

Our group of 200 with laser treated diabetics included 5 patients (2.5%) with bilaterally treated primary simple glaucoma. All of them had diabetic maculopathy exclusively within the range of simple diabetic retinopathy. The focal type of maculopathy occurred 5 times, the cystoid 3 times, the ischemic once. There was emphasized the necessity to devote increased care to diabetics with glaucoma because for them glaucoma represents a risk factor regarding the further development of the visual function and the extent of the visual field. On the other hand, the decreased foveolar sensitivity in some diabetics with glaucoma may reduce the visual acuity which thus becomes an unreliable criterion of the success of the laser therapy.