Macular Edema

Sachin Kalyani, M.D.
Macular Edema is a topic covered in the Johns Hopkins Diabetes Guide.

To view the entire topic, please or purchase a subscription.

Official website of the Johns Hopkins Antibiotic (ABX), HIV, Diabetes, and Psychiatry Guides, powered by Unbound Medicine. Johns Hopkins Guide App for iOS, iPhone, iPad, and Android included. Explore these free sample topics:

Johns Hopkins Guides

-- The first section of this topic is shown below --

DEFINITION

  • The macula is a small and highly sensitive part of the retina, located roughly in the center of the retina and just temporal to the optic nerve.
  • Macular edema occurs due to fluid and protein leaking from blood vessels within the macula causing it to swell and thicken.
  • Focal macular edema is caused by foci of vascular abnormalities, primarily microaneurysms, which tend to leak fluid.
  • Diffuse macular edema is caused by dilated retinal capillaries in the retina.
  • Clinically significant macular edema (CSME) was defined by the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study Group (EDTRS)[6]see Diagnosis section for full definition.

-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please or purchase a subscription --

Last updated: January 3, 2015