**9. Conclusions**

OCT is a noninvasive, well-tolerated method, easy to understand and explain. It offers qualitative information on retinal thickness, and it is reliable and reproducible. OCT reveals the presence and extension of vitreo-macular traction.

There is a correlation between macular thickness and visual acuity in patients with DME. The OCT pattern that was associated with worse visual outcome is CME.

In DME OCT technology has significant impact at various levels: it elucidates the pathogenic mechanisms of DME; it has a major contribution in identifying hyaloid-macular traction; it identifies the subclinical DME allowing early treatment; it makes it possible to correlate macular thickness with visual acuity; it monitors the evolution of DME following treatment.
