Classifications of diabetic macular edema.

Diabetic retinopathy is a major cause worldwide of vision loss from diabetic maculopathy or proliferative retinopathy. Without widely accepted classifications of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic maculopathy, it is difficult to compare results of clinical trials or monitor clinical care. The European School of Advanced Studies in Ophthalmology has developed an international classification of diabetic maculopathy based upon spectral domain optical coherence tomography, which could be helpful for both initial evaluation and subsequent follow-up of diabetic patients in both clinical practice and experimental trials.