Functional condition of the visual analyzer and oxygen metabolism kinetics in pregnant women with diabetes.

The paper presents the results of the study on the pregnancy effect on visual functions (vision acuity, visual field, condition of the eyeball ground), blood oxygenation as well as spatial summation (photometric harmony) in the visual field in 94 pregnant women with diabetes mellitus (as well as diabetic retinopathy). It was found that out of the total number of the patients 24 (25.6%) had pathologic changes on the eyeball ground typical for the diabetic retinopathy and angiopathy. In the overwhelming majority of the investigated patients (74.4%) oxygen deficiency (oxyhemographic results(-hypoxemia was found. In the considerable number of pregnant women (90.1%) photometric disharmony in the visual field was found that could be a proof for the failure of the retinal nerve cells to summarize the light stimula. On the ground of the study results and the pregnancy termination data the authors made a conclusion about the necessity to organize a special ophthalmologic service for the vision protection in pregnant women with diabetes mellitus and DR to provide the prophylaxis of diabetic retinopathy.