Color deficiency and contrast sensitivity in proliferative diabetic retinopathy patients following laser photocoagulation treatment: a systematic review

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Diabetic retinopathy is a condition that changes over time. It starts as non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and can become a more severe form called proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) is a treatment for ischemic retinal diseases. During PRP, a laser is used to heat and damage the retina, but it also increases oxygen levels, which helps stop abnormal blood vessels from growing. This review aimed to determine the relationship between color deficiency and contrast sensitivity in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) after laser photocoagulation treatment.EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: The literature search was conducted across four electronic databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Scopus. This search utilized a combination of key words such as “proliferative diabetic retinopathy,” “pan retinal photocoagulation,” “Farnsworth Munsell,” “contrast sensitivity,” along with pertinent synonyms, to identify relevant studies.EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: The study, which included data from six randomized controlled trials (RCT) of 165 examined eyes, showed that most patients suffered from tritanopia (color deficiency) after undergoing pan retinal photocoagulation (PRP) laser treatment.CONCLUSIONS: Color deficiency in patients with PDR after undergoing PRP laser treatment can be attributed to the significant impact of prolonged light scatter within the optical media during the treatment. This primarily leads to the loss of receptor fields due to burns. Furthermore, the observed decrease in contrast sensitivity following laser photocoagulation treatment is primarily due to damage inflicted on the ganglion cells.

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