Diabetic retinopathy study. Assessment and comparison of retinal lesions for computer analysis.

A method of documentation of a diabetic retinopathy (dR) is described. Panorama fundus photographs (PPhs) of each eye are taken every 3-6 months. The retinopathy is classified according to qualitative, quantitative, and topographic criteria. The retinal lesions are assessed according to a subjective grading scale. Data of direct readings and of comparisons between two PPhs of one eye are transferred to punch cards for storage and computer processing. In a double evaluation of 200 PPhs, the overall reliability of readings was found to be approximately 95%.