Macular function in prediabetic and diabetic Omani adults: a microperimetric evaluation

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Diabetology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of vision loss.
• The sequence of functional versus structural changes in early diabetes is not fully understood.
• Assessing macular function may reveal early signs of diabetic eye disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if functional visual loss precedes structural changes in diabetic patients.
• To evaluate macular function in prediabetic and diabetic patients with varying retinopathy grades.
• To compare findings with age-matched healthy controls using microperimetry.

Main Methods:

• Nidek microperimetry assessed retinal sensitivity, fixation, and response in 25 prediabetic, 25 diabetic, and 25 control subjects.
• Diabetic patients were categorized by retinopathy severity (none, background, macular edema).
• Fisher exact test was used for statistical analysis.

Main Results:

• 40% of diabetic eyes had no retinopathy, 26% had background changes, and 34% had macular edema.
• Diabetic and prediabetic patients showed statistically significant differences in fixation, response, and retinal sensitivity compared to controls.
• Macular function loss was significant in prediabetic subjects.

Conclusions:

• Significant macular function loss was observed in prediabetic individuals.
• These findings suggest that neurodegeneration may precede microangiopathy in the development of diabetic eye disease.
• Early functional assessment could be crucial for detecting diabetic eye complications.