Subthreshold micropulse diode laser photocoagulation for diabetic macular edema with hard exudates]

To examine the efficacy of subthreshold micropulse diode laser photocoagulation (SMDLP) in eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME) with hard exudates.Ten eyes of 10 patients with diffuse DME were treated with SMDLP (810 nm). Hard exudates had accumulated within the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) in all patients. The mean retinal sensitivity within the central 10 degrees was measured with a fundus-related microperimeter (MP 1); the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in logMAR units and optical coherence tomography (OCT)-determined foveal thickness (FT) were recorded before and at 3 months after SMDLP.The FT did not decrease significantly after SMDLP, but the BCVA improved significantly from 0.51 +/- 0.25 to 0.40 +/- 0.31 logMAR units (p= 0.02). There was no significant change in the mean retinal sensitivity within the central 10 degrees after SMDLP.SMDLP can improve the visual acuity even in eyes with DME and hard exudates. However, the therapeutic efficacy of SMDLP in these cases may be limited, because no significant improvement in either the foveal thickness or retinal sensitivity could be seen.