Microperimetry and Optical Coherence Tomography Changes in Type-1 Diabetes Mellitus without Retinopathy

Elvira Orduna-Hospital; Judit Otero-Rodríguez; Lorena Perdices; Ana Sánchez-Cano; Ana Boned-Murillo; Javier Acha; Isabel Pinilla

doi:10.3390/diagnostics11010136

Microperimetry and Optical Coherence Tomography Changes in Type-1 Diabetes Mellitus without Retinopathy

Diagnostics (Basel). 2021 Jan 16;11(1):136. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics11010136.

Authors

Elvira Orduna-Hospital^{1

2}, Judit Otero-Rodríguez², Lorena Perdices¹, Ana Sánchez-Cano^{1

2}, Ana Boned-Murillo^{1

3}, Javier Acha^{1

4}, Isabel Pinilla^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Aragon Institute for Health Research (IIS Aragon), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain.
² Department of Applied Physics, University of Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain.
³ Department of Ophthalmology, Lozano Blesa University Hospital, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain.
⁴ Department of Endocrinology, Miguel Servet University Hospital, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain.

Abstract

Background: We aimed to measure and correlate inner retinal layer (IRL) thickness and macular sensitivity by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and by microperimetry, respectively, in type 1 diabetes mellitus patients (DM1) without diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Methods: Fifty-one DM1 patients and 81 age-matched healthy subjects underwent measurement of the axial length (AL), retinal thickness in the macular ETDRS areas by swept source (SS)-OCT and macular sensitivity by microperimeter.

Results: The total retinal and IRL thicknesses were thicker in the DM1 group (p < 0.05) in practically all ETDRS areas, and they had a generalized decrease in sensitivity (p < 0.05) in 9 areas between both groups. There was a significant negative correlation between retinal sensitivity and age in all areas and in visual acuity (VA) in 5 out of the 9 areas for DM1 patients. Only a mild negative correlation was observed between retinal sensitivity in the 5° nasal inner (5NI) area and in IRL thickness in the temporal inner (TI) area (-0.309 with p = 0.029) in the DM1 group.

Conclusion: Aging and disease evolution in DM1 patients without DR signs generate a decrease in retinal sensitivity. There was a direct relationship between retinal sensitivity and macular thickness in the DM1 group.

Keywords: diabetic retinopathy; inner retinal layer thickness; macular sensitivity; microperimetry; ophthalmology; swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT); total retinal thickness; type 1 diabetes mellitus.