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The following is a summary of “Racial disparities in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy treated with pars plana vitrectomy in an underserved population,” published in the April 2025 issue of BMC Ophthalmology by Thompson et al. 

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), a serious microvascular complication of diabetes, was associated with irreversible vision loss, and prior studies indicated that racial minorities with PDR received less screening and treatment and had more complications.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine how race influenced the surgical presentation and outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for PDR.  

They reviewed cases of individuals who underwent PPV for PDR at a county hospital between January 1, 2014, and December 30, 2019, with at least 6 months of follow-up. Demographic data, medical history, surgical indications, operative outcomes, and complications were collected. Snellen best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was converted to logMAR. Statistical analysis involved chi-square testing, analysis of variance (ANOVA), generalized linear modeling, and multivariate analysis.  

The results showed that 715 individuals (915 eyes) were included who underwent PPV for PDR. Of these, 576 were Hispanic (80.6%), 103 were Black (14.4%), and 36 were Non-Hispanic White (5.0%), with 75% receiving charity-based insurance. Black individuals had higher pre-operative hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels than Hispanic individuals (8.779 vs 8.271, P = 0.011). The likelihood of undergoing surgery for tractional retinal detachment (TRD) was greater in Black individuals compared to Hispanic (OR: 0.901, P < 0.001) and White individuals (OR: 0.870, P < 0.001). Macula-involving TRDs were also more frequent in Black individuals than in Hispanic (OR: 1.194, P< 0.001) and White individuals (OR: 1.289, P= 0.005). Multivariate analysis showed race did not affect surgical outcomes, including post-operative visual acuity, anatomical success, or need for repeat surgery.  

Investigators concluded that Black patients received surgery for diabetic retinopathy at a more advanced stage of the disease, but their surgical outcomes did not significantly differ from those of other groups. 

Source: bmcophthalmol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12886-025-04037-4