Diabetic Retinopathy and Central Corneal Thickness

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease that can lead to many ocular complications such as increased Central Corneal Thickness (CCT), cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy. The aim of this study was to compare the CCT between subjects with type I and type II diabetes. Method: This was a retrospective study which included subjects with diabetes (with and without Diabetic Retinopathy (DR)) aged between 18 to 80 years old. The data collected were type and duration of diabetes mellitus, diabetes treatment, glycated hemoglobin level, visual acuity, CCT, and intra ocular pressure. Subjects were divided into subgroup (with and without DR). Statistical program (SPSS) was used to compare the central corneal thickness between the groups. Result: A total of 205 subjects with type I (n=100) and type II (n=105) diabetes were included in this study. In type 1 DM, the mean CCT was 547.06±27.3 microns in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and 533.85±26.8 microns in patients without DR. In type 2 DM, the mean CCT was 542.85±39.3 microns in patients with DR and 532.44±27.4 microns in patients without DR. The CCT in type 1 diabetic patients was higher in both groups (with and without DR) than the CCT in type 2 diabetic patients in both groups (with and without DR). However, this was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The type of diabetes mellitus did not affect CCT. The presence of diabetic retinopathy in either type I or type II diabetes mellitus can affect the measurements of CCT.