In vivo assessment of corneal endothelial function in diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate in vivo corneal endothelial function in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus with or without diabetic retinopathy.

METHODS

In age-matched samples of 45 eyes of diabetic patients and 15 eyes of healthy control subjects, corneal endothelial function was evaluated by using pachometric measurements of the cornea following hydrophilic contact lens wear of low oxygen transmissibility. Corneal deswelling regression was quantitated to arrive at the percentage recovery per hour as an index of endothelial function. The status of retinopathy was determined in diabetic patients by using standard criteria.

RESULTS

In patients with diabetes mellitus and diabetic retinopathy, the assessed mean (+/- SD) value for the percentage recovery per hour following contact lens-induced edema was 40.03% +/- 7.27%, which was significantly lower than in eyes without changes of diabetic retinopathy (54.31% +/- 6.88%). Also, diabetic patients without retinopathy had a significantly lower percentage recovery per hour than did healthy control subjects (65.27% +/- 12.02%).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates significantly lower corneal endothelial function in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and thus suggests a higher potential to decompensate following any deleterious stress.