EXTREME DIURNAL VARIATION OF CENTRAL MACULAR THICKNESS IN DIABETIC MACULAR EDEMA.

Purpose: Spectral domain optical coherence tomography is an established modality to quantify diabetic macular edema (DME). Change in central subfield thickness exceeding 3% to 6% in DME is likely to be significant. In this case of DME, we describe an extreme bilateral variation in central macular thickness on spectral domain optical coherence tomography over two consecutive days without any treatment.

Methods: The patient with DME and nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy underwent visual acuity testing, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, and dilated fundus examination. The patient also underwent spectral domain optical coherence tomography and digital fluorescence angiography. Findings are described in case report.

Results: There was an overnight decrease of central subfield thickness from 360 microns to 291 microns (69 [∼19%] microns) in the right eye and from 404 microns to 293 microns (111 [∼27%] microns) in the left eye.

Conclusion: Extreme fluctuations in retinal thickness in central involving DME are unusual, and the exact mechanism of this fluctuation is poorly understood.