Focal laser photocoagulation of the optic disc peripapillary neovascularization in patient with proliferative diabetic retinopathy

Abstract

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus and one of the major causes of blindness in the developed world. Retinal laser photocoagulation is a gold standard for the treatment of DR. Despite its high efficiency, laser therapy has a number of limitations. The emergence of drugs, designed to inhibit the growth of the newly formed blood vessels, in ophthalmic practice made it possible to change treatment strategy in patients with retinal neovascularization. However, this method also has some adverse effects. Given the limitations on the repeated sessions of laser photocoagulation and the risks of ophtalmic complications after the intravitreal injection of the angiogenesis inhibitors, extraordinary situations, when there are negative results of treatment with the use of the described above techniques in one eye and disease progression in the single eye with preserved vision, become a serious problem when performing treatment. The clinical case reported has shown the feasibility of staged laser treatment in patient with the optic disc peripapillary neovascularization. Therapy has resulted in the regression of the newly formed blood vessels and visual function preservation.