Comparison of proportional macular thinning in normal and diabetic patients without diabetic retinopathy in tertiary hospital, Bhavnagar – An observational comparative study

Abstract

Patients with diabetes mellitus are found to exhibit decreasing thickness in the macula with progression of disease severity and consistent elevation in the HbA1C levels. The study compares the thinning of macula in diabetic patients without retinopathy and non-diabetic patients using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT).This observational cross-sectional design was conducted on 200 eyes of 100 patients, who reported to the tertiary care centre OPD in Bhavnagar. The study group included 50 diabetic individuals without retinopathy and 50 were non diabetic patients as controls. The macular thickness between groups was assessed using OCT. The correlation of CMT values with HbA1C levels were also evaluated in patients with diabetes.The macula thickness in patients with diabetes was found to be thinner when compared to non-diabetic patients (P<0.05), and the thickness of macula increased with a consistent increase in the HbA1C levels in diabetic patients without diabetic retinopathy (P<0.05). OCT remains a promising diagnostic imaging tool in evaluating accurately the thickness of macula in patients with diabetes. According to the study's findings, diabetic individuals without retinopathy at a tertiary care facility in Bhavnagar had thinner macula.