Role of Electrophysiology in the Early Diagnosis and Follow-Up of Diabetic Retinopathy

Retinopathy is a severe and common complication of diabetes, representing a leading cause of blindness among working-age people in developed countries. It is estimated that the number of people with diabetic retinopathy (DR) will increase from 126.6 million in 2011 to 191 million by 2030. The pathol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of diabetes research 2015-01, Vol.2015 (2015), p.1-8
Main Authors: Buomprisco, Giuseppe, Stefanucci, Alessio, Barbato, Andrea, Pescosolido, Nicola
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Diabetes
Diabetic retinopathy
Diabetic Retinopathy - diagnosis
Diabetic Retinopathy - physiopathology
Early Diagnosis
Edema
Electrodiagnosis
Electroretinography
Evoked Potentials, Visual - physiology
Humans
Hyperglycemia
Hypoxia
Insulin resistance
Laboratory animals
Light
Medical diagnosis
Photoreceptors
Physiology
Retina - physiopathology
Review
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Summary:Retinopathy is a severe and common complication of diabetes, representing a leading cause of blindness among working-age people in developed countries. It is estimated that the number of people with diabetic retinopathy (DR) will increase from 126.6 million in 2011 to 191 million by 2030. The pathology seems to be characterized not only by the involvement of retinal microvessels but also by a real neuropathy of central nervous system, similar to what happens to the peripheral nerves, particularly affected by diabetes. The neurophysiological techniques help to assess retinal and nervous (optic tract) function. Electroretinography (ERG) and visual evoked potentials (VEP) allow a more detailed study of the visual function and of the possible effects that diabetes can have on the visual function. These techniques have an important role both in the clinic and in research: the central nervous system, in fact, has received much less attention than the peripheral one in the study of the complications of diabetes. These techniques are safe, repeatable, quick, and objective. In addition, both the ERG (especially the oscillatory potentials and the flicker-ERG) and VEP have proved to be successful tools for the early diagnosis of the disease and, potentially, for the ophthalmologic follow-up of diabetic patients.
ISSN:2314-6745
2314-6753
DOI:10.1155/2015/319692