Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine whether spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) can detect and quantify the number of hyperreflective foci attached to the retina and in the vitreous of patients at different stages of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Methods: The medical charts of 929 eyes of 465 patients who had undergone SD-OCT were reviewed. The number of hyperreflective foci in the vitreous and attached to the retina was determined in the SD-OCT images. Results: Of the 929 eyes, 284 eyes from diabetic patients and 265 eyes from controls met the inclusion criteria. The number of hyperreflective foci increased significantly as the severity of DR increased. Conclusions: The correlation between the average number of hyperreflective foci and the severity of DR indicates that quantifying the number of hyperreflective foci may be used to estimate the severity of DR and, thus, identify eyes which require further tests or treatments.

Keywords:
Diabetic retinopathy, Optical coherence tomography, Diabetes mellitus
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2017
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