Clinical and Experimental Approach to the Benefits and Risks of Laser Treatment for Diabetic Macular Edema
Author
Summary, in English
To determine the safety of the current screening interval, the 3-year incidence of diabetic retinopathy and macular edema was monitored in type 2 diabetic subjects with no retinopathy (Study I). To identify the long-term effects of laser treatment, the retinal sensitivity in 29 consecutively recruited subjects with diabetic macular edema was assessed by visual fields before and after laser treatment every 6 months during a period of 2 years (Study II). To investigate the cellular and molecular events that may be involved in the clinical benefits of laser treatment, a model of in vitro laser coagulation of the retinal pigment epithelium was established and used to evaluate cell death and cell repair (Study III). The same model was also used to explore the effects of laser treatment on mRNA and protein levels by analysis of microarray and proteomics data (Study IV).
Study I demonstrated a very low incidence of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy, which supports the current use of a 3-year retinal screening interval for the subgroup in question. Study II showed no change in retinal sensitivity following laser treatment for diabetic macular edema during the 2-year follow-up compared to baseline. Study III revealed that laser-induced damage involved both necrosis and apoptosis, and the repair process entailed both proliferation and migration. In study IV, the downregulation of the protein Carbonic anhydrase 9 and the upregulation of heat shock proteins 1A and 1B were the most interesting findings and might explain some of the beneficial effects of laser treatment for diabetic macular edema.
Publishing year
2016
Language
English
Publication/Series
Lund University Faculty of Medicine Doctoral Dissertation Series
Volume
2016:13
Full text
Document type
Dissertation
Publisher
Ophthalmology, Lund University
Topic
- Ophthalmology
Keywords
- Diabetic macular edema
- laser treatment
- retinal pigment epithelium
- ARPE-19
- microarray
- proteomics
Status
Published
Research group
- Ophthalmology (Malmö)
Supervisor
- Elisabet Agardh
- Boel Bengtsson
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1652-8220
- ISBN: 978-91-7619-239-9
Defence date
15 April 2016
Defence time
09:15
Defence place
Lilla aulan, Jan Waldenströms gata 5, Malmö
Opponent
- Anders Kvanta (Professor)