Diabetic vitrectomy represents an end-point of diabetic retinopathy progression. This study was designed to estimate long-term incidence of diabetic vitrectomy and associated risk factors.
Retrospective review of prospectively collected data from a large diabetes centre between 1996 and 2010. Surgical history was obtained from The Danish National Patient Register.
The population consisted of 3980 patients with type 1 diabetes. Median follow-up was 10.0 years. In total, 106 patients underwent diabetic vitrectomy in the observation period. Surgery indications were nonclearing vitreous haemorrhage (43%) or tractional retinal detachment (57%). The cumulative incidence rates of diabetic vitrectomy were 1.6% after 5 years and 2.9% after 10 years. When excluding patients with no or mild diabetic retinopathy, the corresponding rates were higher; 3.7% and 6.4%, respectively (p 75 mmol/mol in the observation period (p 0.05 for all variables).
Diabetic vitrectomy is rarely required in a type 1 diabetes population with varying degrees of retinopathy, but the risk increases markedly with poor metabolic control.