Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. It usually begins several years after the onset of diabetes. In the early stages, there are relatively mild retinal changes, the most important of which, regarding visual acuity (VA) affection, is diabetic macular edema (DME). Recently, the development of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) greatly changed the treatment strategy of this part of diabetic retinopathy, particularly with the development of more advanced laser technologies as micropulse laser and more effective and longer acting anti-VEGF and steroid intravitreal medications and the advances in pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) techniques. In this lecture I shall discuss those aspects.

• Dr Ahmed Darwish is an Egyptian ophthalmologist who graduated from Ain Shams University in Cairo. He took his MBBCh certificate on November 1984 with excellent with highest honor degree. He began his residency in the ophthalmology department at Ain Shams University on 4/1986 and took his Master degree on 1989.  In November 1993 he took his MD degree and on March 1994 he took the position of lecturer of ophthalmology at Ain Shams university. On 1999 he  was upgraded to assistant professor and on 2004 to professor of ophthalmology and is still in this position up till now.

• As regards his academic work in the university he is involved in research work, teaching for undergraduates and postgraduates, clinical training for younger staff, supervision for MSc & MD thesis, examining undergraduates and postgraduates. Also he is involved as an instructor in scientific university days and conferences of Egyptian Ophthalmology Society and Saudi Ophthalmology society.

• Clinically, he shared as a founder or cofounder of vitreoretinal surgical units in several university and private hospitals and ophthalmology centers in Egypt & in Saudia Arabia.

• He is a member in many international ophthalmology journals and Egyptian ophthalmology and vitreoretinal societies, American Academy of Ophthalmology, Saudi Ophthalmology Society and Middle East & Africa Co.

• He is a referee for the evaluation of retina papers in the Bullitin of Ophthalmology Society of Egypt and the Egyptian retina journal and an editor in Advances of Ophthalmolgy & Visual Systems journal.

• He has many internationally published articles in the vitreoretinal field.