Early worsening of diabetic retinopathy after rapid improvement of blood glucose control in patients with diabetes

Intensive diabetes treatment inducing a rapid fall in glucose should prompt vigilance and caution, particularly in patients with long-term and uncontrolled diabetes and DR prior to IT. Careful retinal examination should be performed in all patients before initiating IT; however, in patients with severe non-proliferative or proliferative DR, panretinal photocoagulation therapy should be performed promptly. During the year following IT, quarterly eye monitoring is required in patients at high risk of EWDR (long-term uncontrolled diabetes, previous advanced DR), whereas follow-up every 6 months can be applied in patients with short-term diabetes and no/minimal DR before IT. To date, there is no evidence that controlling the speed or magnitude of HbA1c decreases will reduce the risk of EWDR in patients with diabetes.