Retinal photoreceptor ellipsoid zone integrity in diabetic macular edema

Abstract

Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and further advances in OCT technology have enabled higher resolution retinal imaging. With the delineation of the four hyperreflective bands in the outer retina, retinal microstructural changes have been documented in diabetic retinopathy. The integrity of photoreceptor external limiting membrane and inner segment ellipsoid zone, in particular, has been correlated with disease severity and visual acuity. Various OCT-based grading systems with regard to disruption of photoreceptor external limiting membrane and inner segment ellipsoid zone have been proposed. The pretreatment status of photoreceptor layer is also useful in predicting the post-treatment recovery of inner segment ellipsoid zone and visual acuity.