Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42530943›Full record

ArticleTranslational vision science & technology2026

The Impact of Inflammatory Hyperreflective Spots and Hard Exudates on Retinal Function in Diabetic Retinal Disease.

Katharina Wall, Aaron Schumacher, Samuel A Chang, Anna Sophia Jauch, Lukas Goerdt, Marlene Saßmannshausen, Frank G Holz, Andreas Pollreisz, Thomas Ach

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Translational vision science & technology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Katharina WallDepartment of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Aaron SchumacherDepartment of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Samuel A ChangDepartment of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Anna Sophia JauchDepartment of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Lukas GoerdtDepartment of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Marlene SaßmannshausenDepartment of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Frank G HolzDepartment of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Andreas PollreiszDepartment of Ophthalmology, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Thomas AchDepartment of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: To characterize the topography of hyperreflective spots (HRSs) and hard exudates (HEs) and to analyze their association with localized retinal sensitivity in diabetic retinal disease (DRD). Methods: In this prospective cross-sectional study, diabetic patients (type I/II) underwent increased axial resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) and mesopic microperimetry. HRSs (<30 µm, without back shadowing) and HEs (>30 µm, with back shadowing) were annotated in OCT scans and spatially matched to microperimetry test points across Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) subfields. Eyes with confounding OCT biomarkers (disorganization of the retinal inner layers, ellipsoid zone/external limiting membrane disruption, vitreomacular traction) were excluded. Linear mixed-effects models were used to evaluate the associations between lesion types and localized retinal sensitivity. Results: Fifty-one eyes of 51 patients were included (mean age, 55.9 ± 14.8 years; diabetic retinopathy severity scale, 3.3 ± 1.6; hemoglobin A1c, 7.6% ± 2.0%). HRSs (n = 2308) were present in all study eyes, while HEs (n = 1222) were present in 21 eyes. Normalized to ETDRS subfield area, both HRSs (229.2 /mm2) and HEs (82.8 /mm2) showed the highest densities in the central subfield. Higher HRS load was independently associated with reduced retinal sensitivity (β = -0.06, P = 0.011), whereas no significant association was observed for HEs (P = 0.461); this finding should be interpreted with caution given the limited number of eyes with HEs. Conclusions: HRSs and HEs demonstrate distinct spatial distributions and functional associations in DRD, with HRSs independently linked to localized sensitivity loss. Translational Relevance: HRSs may serve as an accessible biomarker of early neuroretinal impairment and could improve patient stratification and treatment evaluation in clinical trials.

Indexed as

Diabetic RetinopathyExudates and TransudatesInflammationRetinaAdultAgedCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesTomography, Optical CoherenceVisual AcuityVisual FieldsVisual Field Tests

Identifiers

PMID42530943
PMCPMC13436581

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.