Researchers recently published results of a retrospective, matched cohort study in the journal Ophthalmology, which highlights the increased risk of progression of diabetic retinopathy in diabetic patients.
Health record data was evaluated by researchers looking for the potential risk of diabetic retinopathy progression following non-complex cataract surgery. Researchers looked at patients with type 2 diabetes who had cataract surgery as well as patients with type 2 diabetes who did not have cataract surgery.
An increased risk of progression from non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy to proliferative diabetic retinopathy was reported for the patients who underwent cataract surgery. The risk of progression increased within the first year of cataract surgery. The study did not try and determine the exact cause behind this risk and what could prevent the progression but those items do warrant consideration in future studies. Researchers stress the need for closer monitoring of patients with diabetic retinopathy within the first year of cataract surgery.
