Human photopic response to circulating glucose

Abstract

Circulating glucose was manipulated in young human volunteers with clinically normal vision. Fasting achieved a concentration range of 45-91 mg/dl. And sugar loading produced a range of 79-108 mg/dl. Glucose increased in all subjects. A nonparametric ANOVA provided a p=0.0005 for the significance of the concentration differences between group glucose concentrations under the two conditions in the sample. Each volunteer participated in each condition of the repeated-measures design. Clinical tests were completed before electroretinograms were recorded under photopic and scotopic adaptation conditions. Measures were made from 12 eyes. Only photopic adaptation conditions with maximal stimuli produced significant results. Inter-individual differences were robust and constrained to reduced implicit times for b-wave peaks and 30 Hz flicker implicit times. Under the elevated glucose conditions. Other variables showed very strong trends. These results confirm and extend other human indications of photopic retinal sensitivity to variations within the normal range of circulating glucose concentrations.