Ocular Complications of Diabetes Mellitus Except for Diabetic Retinopathy

The Ocular complications of diabetes mellitus except for diabetic retinopathy have been poorly studied compared retinal complications, which are the main cause of blindness. We report the results of a prospective study reviewing the different ocular conditions encountered during diabetes. Four hundred (400) eyes of two hundred (200) patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes were examined during a period of 8 months. All included patients underwent a complete ophthalmological examination. Fifty-seven diabetic patients were diagnosed of an ocular disease at a frequency of 28.5%. There were 42 male and 17 female patients with an average age of 57, 5 years old. The average duration of diabetes was 11.8 years. Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus was present in 59.6% of cases. Cataracts were the most common ocular diseases diagnosed in 45.6% of cases followed by primary or chronic open-angle glaucoma in 22.9% and hyperopia in 12.3% of cases. Corneal sensitivity was decreased in 52% of cases and bilateral optic neuropathy was found in 3.4% of cases (two hundred eyes). The ocular complications of diabetes mellitus except for diabetic retinopathy, are dominated by cataracts and glaucoma. But there are also neuropathies that may cause blindness. These conditions should therefore also be systematically screened for evaluations and reviews of potential degenerative complications in patients with diabetes mellitus.