Unilateral proliferative diabetic retinopathy. II. Clinical course
J. A. Valone Jr, J. W. McMeel and E. P. Franks
One hundred thirty-six patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy
(PDR) in one eye and nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) in the
fellow eye on initial examination were followed up for at least three
months. Eight percent of the eyes with NPDR were eliminated from further
consideration by treatment within the first three months. Proliferative
diabetic retinopathy developed in 58% of the remaining eyes with NPDR,
usually within two years of the initial examination. Proliferative diabetic
retinopathy developed in a significantly greater percentage of diabetics
who were younger than 40 years than in diabetics older than 60 years. Poor
visual prognosis among eyes that initially had NPDR was associated with
advanced angiopathy or exudation on initial examination and also may have
been associated with the subsequent development of PDR. Neither the
development of PDR nor the final visual acuity in these eyes could be
correlated with vascular disease outside the eye, the degree of PDR in the
fellow eye, or the presence of higher intraocular pressure in the eye with
NPDR on initial examination. Forty-one percent of the eyes with unilateral
PDR were eliminated from consideration by prompt treatment. Most remaining
eyes with PDR also showed progressive fundus pathologic conditions.
