CORNEAL EPITHELIAL FRAGILITY IN DIABETES-MELLITUS

Objective: To assess corneal epithelial fragility in non-insulin-depen dent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and its association with retinopathy. D esign: Survey. Setting: University-affiliate hospital in Chandigarh, I ndia. Subjects: Seventy patients with NIDDM selected at random and 35 age-matched healthy control subjects recruited from hospital staff and their relatives. Main outcome measure: Corneal epithelial fragility, as measured with an esthesiometer. Results: Mean corneal epithelial fr agility values were significantly higher for the diabetic subjects wit hout retinopathy than for the control subjects (p < 0.05). The mean ep ithelial fragility values for the eyes with diabetic proliferative ret inopathy and those with nonproliferative retinopathy were significantl y higher (by 84% and 41% respectively) than the mean value for the dia betic subjects without retinopathy (P < 0.05), There was no significan t difference in mean epithelial fragility values between the prolifera tive and nonproliferative retinopathy groups. Conclusions: Eyes with d iabetic retinopathy demonstrate increased corneal epithelial fragility .