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Observational Study
. 2021 Jul;69(7):1718-1724.
doi: 10.4103/ijo.IJO_3120_20.

Corneal endothelial morphology and central corneal thickness in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

Bithi Chowdhury  1 , Sangeeta Bhadra  1 , Pramod Mittal  2 , Kishore Shyam  2
Affiliations
Observational Study

Corneal endothelial morphology and central corneal thickness in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

Bithi Chowdhury et al. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the corneal endothelial morphology and thickness in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and compare them with age and sex-matched nondiabetic controls.

Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional observational study was conducted in the ophthalmology department of a tertiary hospital consisting of 262 patients (131 with T2DM as cases and 131 without diabetes who served as controls). All patients underwent a comprehensive ocular examination including visual acuity, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, intraocular pressure measurement. Central corneal thickness (CCT), endothelial cell density (ECD), coefficient of variance (CV), and percentage of hexagonal cells (HEX) were compared between the cases and controls. Predictors of corneal endothelial dysfunctions were analyzed. Data analysis was done by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0. Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and Spearman's rho correlation analysis were used as appropriate.

Results: Patients with T2DM showed poorer visual acuity and higher intraocular pressure. As compared to controls, patients with T2DM had thicker CCT, lesser ECD, decreased HEX, and higher CV but the differences were statistically nonsignificant. HbA1c levels showed a significant positive correlation with CCT and CV and a negative correlation with ECD. Macroalbuminuria and higher albumin creatinine ratio was associated with an increase in CV in patients with T2DM.

Conclusion: Our study showed that poorly controlled patients with T2DM and those with macroalbuminuria have corneal endothelial abnormalities.

Keywords: Corneal endothelium; macroalbuminuria; specular microscopy; type 2 diabetes.

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Conflict of interest statement

None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of recruitment of participants of the study
Figure 2
Figure 2
Specular microscopy findings in a 65-year-old female with type-2 diabetes
Figure 3
Figure 3
Specular microscopy findings in a 60-year-old female without diabetes
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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