ANALYSIS OF CENTRAL FOVEAL THICKNESS, FOVEAL SENSITIVITY, MACULAR VOLUME AND CORNEAL THICKNESS AMONG TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS WITH OR WITHOUT ALBUMINURIA

BACKGROUND Albuminuria is known to be associated with diabetic retinopathy. Science and technology have proved many histological similarities between glomerulus and capillaries of retina. The present study aimed to investigate the foveal thickness, foveal sensitivity, macular volume and corneal thickness among type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) among newly detected patients and patients who are already on medication. This was correlated in patients with and without albuminuria. This study will bring out the status of retina and cornea among Type 2 DM patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a retrospective analysis of both sexes above 40 years of age affected with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Patients were examined clinically and evaluated by laboratory means and assessed by conventional and advanced technology and the details were analysed. Cross Sectional design and Cluster Random Sampling was followed. This study work has been approved by Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC). All cases of type 2 DM attending the hospital has been considered for the study. They were known diabetics or newly diagnosed Type 2 DM. Healthy age and sex matched people (N=50) were taken as control for the study. An informed consent was obtained from patients who participated in the study. The observation made out of the study was correlated with laboratory and clinical parameters and there by the probable predicable findings of the Diabetic Retinopathy will be identified. Thus, early markers of diabetic retinal changes will be identified, and knowledge gained will be taken to educate the professional community and students of health sciences. This study is expected to bring out an association between central corneal thickness, central foveal thickness, macular volume and albuminuria. RESULTS There was negligible correlation between micro albuminuria and central foveal thickness, macular volume, foveal sensitivity and central corneal thickness. CONCLUSION Out of the sample size of 122 patients with and without micro albuminuria, various variables like foveal thickness, macular volume, foveal sensitivity and corneal thickness were studied. Statistically significant positive correction was found between central foveal thickness and macular volume. But there is no significant correlation between foveal thickness, macular volume, foveal sensitivity and corneal thickness in Type 2 DM with or without micro albuminuria.