Hard exudates useful in screening for macular edema, study shows

The presence of hard exudates within 1 disc parameter of the foveola is an effective way to detect clinically significant macular edema in a screening setting, according to a new study in Optometry and Vision Science.

Litvin and colleagues studied 143 adults with type 2 diabetes, collecting images over several visits.

The researchers used a nonmydriatic digital fundus camera, and two graders analyzed the nonstereo fundus images for the presence of hard exudates near the center of the macula. A dilated fundus examination was also conducted.

Results showed that clinically significant macular edema (CSME) was diagnosed in 15.5% of participants' eyes during the dilated examination.

"For the right eyes, the sensitivity of hard exudates within 1 disc diameter from the foveola as a surrogate for detecting CSME was 93.8% for each of the graders; the specificity values were 88.5% and 85.1%," the authors found. "For the left eyes, the sensitivity values were 93.8% and 75% for each of the two graders, respectively; the specificity was 87.4% for both graders."

"This study supports the use of hard exudates within a disc diameter of the center of the macula in nonstereo digital images for CSME detection in a screening setting," the authors concluded.

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Source:

Optom Vis Sci. 2014; doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000000205.