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Retinal thickness in the offspring of diabetic pregnancies

Yasser M Tariq1, Chameen Samarawickrama, Haitao Li

  • 1Centre for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology and Westmead Millennium Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

American Journal of Ophthalmology
|October 19, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Maternal diabetes during pregnancy is linked to thinner macular thickness in children. This study found specific retinal changes in offspring, suggesting a potential impact on retinal development.

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Endocrinology

Background:

  • Maternal diabetes mellitus can affect fetal development.
  • Retinal structure and function may be influenced by prenatal environmental factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare macular and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in children born to mothers with and without diabetes.
  • Investigate the impact of maternal diabetes on offspring retinal morphology.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 2367 children (age 11.1–14.4 years) from the Sydney Myopia Study.
  • Ocular examinations included visual acuity, refraction, axial length, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) using Stratus OCT.
  • Detailed questionnaires collected data on birth parameters and medical history.

Main Results:

  • Children from diabetic pregnancies (n=57) showed significantly thinner inner and outer macular thickness and macular volume compared to controls.
  • No significant differences were observed in central macular thickness, foveal minimum thickness, or RNFL parameters between the groups.
  • Adequate-quality OCT scans were obtained from 1741 (RNFL) and 1687 (macular) children.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal diabetes during pregnancy is associated with alterations in the offspring's retinal morphology.
  • Thinning of pericentral macular parameters was observed in children of diabetic pregnancies.
  • These findings suggest that maternal diabetes may impact retinal development in children.
Abstract

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