An attempt to evaluate the anterior surface homeostasis in patients with diabetic retinopathy

• Published in: Acta ophthalmologica (Oxford, England) England), 2024-01, Vol.102 (S279), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Kuligowska, Agnieszka, Pius‐Sadowska, Ewa, Machaliński, Bogusław, Machalińska, Anna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Blepharitis; Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; Cerebrospinal fluid; Confocal microscopy; Cornea; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetic neuropathy; Eye diseases; Homeostasis; Injuries; Innervation; Interferometry; Meniscus; Nerve growth factor; Retinopathy; Sensation; Vascular endothelial growth factor
• ISSN: 1755-375X; 1755-3768
• DOI: 10.1111/aos.16028

Aims/Purpose: The aim of our study was to verify the presence of dry eye disease (DED) in diabetic patients. We also tried to determine the relationship between diabetic neuropathy and the presence of ocular surface disease. Methods: 52 type 2 diabetic patients and 52 non‐diabetic, sex and age‐matched controls were included in the study. All participants completed the OSDI questionnaire and undergone the eye surface examination with IDRA analyser including interferometry, tear meniscus height, non‐invasive tear break‐up time (NIBUT), evaluation of blepharitis, blinking pattern, pupillometry and meibography. Corneal sensation in the centre of the cornea and its 4 quadrants was analysed with the Cochet–Bonnet aesthesiometer (CBE). Corneal confocal microscopy images of sub‐basal plexus were evaluated using ACCMetrics. The concentrations of the neurotrophic factors: beta‐NGF, BDNF, NT‐4 as well as inflammatory mediators (TNF‐α, VEGF, IL‐2, ‐1β, ‐4, ‐5, ‐6, ‐8, ‐10, ‐12, GM‐CSF, IFN‐γ) were measured in the tear film using Luminex 200 analytic platform. Results: The OSDI was significantly higher in diabetic patients compared to the controls (mean: 29.08 vs. 11.67 points; p