Does Pars Plana Vitrectomy Improve Visual Outcomes in Patients with Complications of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

The Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) was a randomized clinical trial involving nearly four thousand diabetic patients with early proliferative retinopathy, moderate to severe nonproliferative retinopathy, and/or diabetic macular edema in each eye. This paper (ETDRS report number 17) describes the baseline previtrectomy characteristics, initial treatment assignments, indications for vitrectomy, and visual outcomes in the subgroup of patients in the ETDRS who had pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). The study showed that pars plana vitrectomy could improve visual outcomes in patients with complications from proliferative diabetic retinopathy such as vitreous hemorrhage and retinal detachment. PPV continues to play an important role in the management of complications from proliferative diabetic retinopathy.