O. Lundquist et S. Osterlin, GLUCOSE-CONCENTRATION IN THE VITREOUS OF NONDIABETIC AND DIABETIC HUMAN EYES, Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology, 232(2), 1994, pp. 71-74
Glycation (nonenzymatic glucosylation) of collagen may play a role in
the primary pathology of the vitreous in diabetes. The extent of glyca
tion is determined by the glucose concentration in the tissue. In this
study glucose concentration was assayed in blood and vitreous samples
obtained from three patient groups undergoing vitrectomy: nondiabetic
patients (ND), diabetic patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mell
itus (IDDM) and diabetic patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes
mellitus (NIDDM). In the ND group the glucose concentration in the vit
reous (3.5+/-1.8 mM/l) was always lower than in the blood (9.1+/-3.5 m
M/l). In the diabetic groups the vitreous glucose concentration was, w
ith a few exceptions, generally lower than the blood glucose concentra
tion. The vitreous glucose concentration in these groups was generally
higher (IDDM 9.4+/-3.3 mM/l, NIDDM 7.2+/-3.9 mM/l) than in the ND gro
up, and in 15 specimens exceeded 11 mM/l, a level increasing the proba
bility of collagen glycation in the vitreous of diabetic patients.