Identification of population characteristics through implementation of the Comprehensive Diabetic Retinopathy Program.

Background: Diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of blindness in working-age adults. Characteristics of patients with diabetes presenting to a retina subspecialty clinic have not been adequately studied, limiting our ability to risk stratify patients with diabetic retinopathy. Our goal is to describe an innovative program that collects structured, longitudinal data on patients with diabetes in a retina clinic, and identifies population characteristics to define patient risk stratification.

Blood Pressure Is Associated with Receiving Intravitreal Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Treatment in Patients with Diabetes.

Purpose: Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections are used commonly in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy (DR), but the need for treatment and frequency of administration vary considerably among patients. There is no way to predict which patients will require treatment and how frequently injections will be needed. This study aimed to identify factors associated with receiving anti-VEGF injections and the number of treatments received in an 18-month period in patients with diabetes.