MORPHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF DIABETIC RETINOPATHY

Abstract

A morphological study of the thickness of the choroid in patients with diabetes using spectral- domain optical coherence tomography was carried out in order to analyze the morphological changes of choroidal vessels and their role in the mechanism of diabetic retinopathy, which was carried out on the eyes of 203 participants with diabetes and on the eyes of 48 we are healthy people. The thickness of the choroid in the area of the foveal lesion was measured using optical coherence tomography with enhanced imaging. Participants were grouped according to the degree of diabetic retinopathy: no diabetic changes, mild or moderate, or severe nonproliferative or proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Study parameters included history, age, axial length, intraocular pressure, central retinal thickness, fasting glucose, and blood pressure. As a result, subfoveal choroidal thickness was smaller in eyes with nonproliferative or proliferative diabetic retinopathy than in normal eyes (p <0.01). However, there was no diff erence between eyes with nonproliferative and proliferative diabetic retinopathy or between eyes without diabetic changes and controls. Eyes with macular edema did not show a signifi cant diff erence in choroidal thickness compared to eyes with normal macular contours. Consequently, the central choroid thins when eyes exhibit diabetic retinal changes. However, the presence of diabetic macular edema or proliferative changes was not associated with more pronounced choroidal thinning.