Purpose: To present the major importance of optical coherence tomography in early diagnosis and follow-up of diabetic macular edema.
Method: The patients diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy in our clinic between april 2008 - march 2011 were evaluated by OCT and other complementary exams.
Results: OCT in diabetic maculopathy is useful in the evaluation of the following: presence and area of retinal thickening; quantification of retinal thickening; proximity of retinal thickening to the centre of the macula; presence or absence of cyst formation (cystoid macular edema).
Conclusions: OCT contributes in understanding the anatomy of diabetic macular edema and the intraretinal damage and it is the technique of choice for the follow-up of diabetic macular edema and for monitoring the effect of therapies.