The National Diabetic Retinopathy Laser Treatment Audit. I. Maculopathy.

The National Diabetic Retinopathy Laser Treatment Audit is a prospective survey of laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy throughout the United Kingdom. This paper describes the methodology of the study and presents data on 546 patients who were undergoing their first photocoagulation treatment for diabetic maculopathy (without proliferative retinopathy) during a 2 month period in 1995. Validation of the level of participation, patient demographic features, sources of referral, the level of systematic screening and waiting times are described. Maculopathy was detected as a result of systematic screening in 65.2%, whilst 12.3% of cases presented symptomatically. The percentage of cases treated within 8 weeks of listing was 83.1%, whilst 7% waited for more than 12 weeks for their laser treatment. The retinopathy features and the type of treatment given are also described. The maculopathy was said to be predominantly exudative in nature in 69.8% of cases, and 96.2% of these eyes were treated with focal macular laser. The maculopathy was said to be diffusely oedematous in nature in 8.6% of cases, and 78.7% of these eyes were treated with grid macular laser.