Evaluation of Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer in Diabetic Patients as an Early Manifestation of Diabetic Retinopathy

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) in diabetic patients as an early manifestation of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Method: This comparative study was conducted on 30 diabetic patients who were had no signs of DR, and in the control group comprising 30 healthy non-diabetic patients selected as sample size. Demographic data including their age, duration of diabetes, drugs used for treatment, hypertension and previous ocular surgery were noted. Complete ophthalmological examination was performed, including slit-lamp biomicroscopy, refraction, intraocular pressure measurement, dilated fundus examination, fundus fluorescein angiography for patients with non-proliferative DR and optical coherence tomography imaging using Heidelberg Spectralis. Results: The RNFL thicknesses in each of the quadrants were analysed and then a comparison was done in case and control groups. Also, RNFL thickness among all study participants with HbA1c levels was investigated. The mean RNFL thickness in the superior-inferior nasal and temporal quadrants were 119.2, 120.1, 80.6 and 63.2, respectively. The mean thickness was noted in each group in each of the quadrants and was found to be lesser than the control population of diabetics. Conclusion: The imaging of RNFL may be an important tool in assessing diabetes-related changes early and should be made part of diabetic screening.

Keywords

• diabetic retinopathy
• ophthalmology
• retinal nerve fibre layer