THE EFFECT OF PANRETINAL LASER PHOTOCOAGULATION ON VISUAL-ACUITY, VISUAL-FIELDS AND ON SUBJECTIVE VISUAL IMPAIRMENT IN PREPROLIFERATIVE ANDEARLY PROLIFERATIVE DIABETIC-RETINOPATHY

The effect of panretinal laser scatter treatment on visual fields, vis ual acuity and subjective complaints was assessed in 11 patients with severe nonproliferative or early proliferative diabetic retinopathy. P atients were prospectively examined before and after panretinal treatm ent using automated static threshold perimetry with program 30-2 on th e Humphrey perimeter, and they were interviewed. Visual field sensitiv ity was often depressed even before treatment with mean MD -4.3 (-1, - 11.6) dB, but was significantly lower (p < 0.01, ANOVA) 2 weeks after treatment with mean MD -8.6 dB. Visual fields remained stable 4 months later. Treatment increased the number of eyes with visual fields as d efined by abnormal MD values at the p < 0.05 level from 8 to 16 among the 17 treated. In spite of considerable impairment of visual fields a fter treatment, subjective problems were small and the visual field im pairment seemed to have little influence on everyday life.