Abstract
The purpose of the study was to evaluate central corneal thickness in diabetic patients and to compare the results with controls without diabetes mellitus. Sixty-five diabetic patients (65 eyes) constituted the study group, and 50 eyes were from the healthy control group (50 non-diabetic patients). The study group was subdivided into group 1 (no diabetic retinopathy, n = 35), group 2 (mild to moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, n = 20), and group 3 (proliferative diabetic retinopathy, n = 10). Central corneal thickness measurements in microns were determined using ultrasound pachymetry. The mean central corneal thickness was significantly greater in the study group (567.14 μm ± 14.63 μm) than in the control group (531.14 μm ± 5 μm). In addition, the mean central corneal thickness was found to be greater in group 3 (577 μm ± 12 μm) than in groups 1 (562 μm ± 13 μm) and 2 (566.86 μm ± 15 μm), but the difference did not reach statistical significance. We found that the mean central corneal thickness for diabetic patients was thicker than that of the healthy controls. Thicker central corneas associated with diabetes mellitus should be taken into consideration when obtaining accurate intraocular pressure measurements in diabetics.
Highlights
The cornea is the major refracting component of the eye, accounting for approximately 70% (43 of the 60 D) of the total refraction.[1,2,3,4] The cornea is about 535 μm (0.535 mm) thick,[5] and is composed of five different layers.[6,7,8,9] The outermost layer is the corneal epithelium, responsible for both protecting the eye from foreign material and absorbing oxygen and other nutrients
The purpose of the present paper is to present the results of central corneal thickness measurements in diabetic patients with or without retinopathy, and compare the results with non-diabetic control patients
Diabetic retinopathy was classified by the ophthalmologist (TMS) according to the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) criteria.[18]
Summary
The cornea is the major refracting component of the eye, accounting for approximately 70% (43 of the 60 D) of the total refraction.[1,2,3,4] The cornea is about 535 μm (0.535 mm) thick,[5] and is composed of five different layers.[6,7,8,9] The outermost layer is the corneal epithelium, responsible for both protecting the eye from foreign material and absorbing oxygen and other nutrients. Bowman’s membrane maintains the integrity of the corneal structure and acts as a barrier against infections. The stroma maintains the transparent cornea and is made up of keratocytes that lie between collagen fibrils within the stroma.[9] The layer is the Descemet membrane which adheres to the stroma. The main role of the endothelium is to control swelling and stromal hydration in order to maintain corneal transparency.[8,9,10] Dysfunction in any of these components may result in a loss of transparency and/or function
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