[Diabetic maculopathy:classification, epidemiology, spontaneous outcome, treatment].

Macular edema is the main cause of visual impairment in diabetic patients. It occurs in about 10% of the diabetic population and in 30% of patients with up to twenty years of diabetes. Macular edema usually progress very slowly. Several studies have shown that almost 50% of the eyes affected displayed no change in vision during a two-year follow-up. Macular edema may spontaneously resolve, and probably responds to correction of glycemic and systemic anomalies, thus indicating that it does not require urgent treatment. The treatment of macular edema is based on argon green laser photocoagulation. Extra macular focal photocoagulation delivered to the center of circinate exudates results in exudate resorption and is indicated when ever the exudates enter the macular area. The treatment of cystoid macular edema consists of grid photocoagulation in the perifoveolar area. In most cases, it results in the disappearance of CME and visual stabilization, but rarely in visual improvement.