Axial length and proliferative diabetic retinopathy

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Endocrinology
• Diabetology

Background:

• Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of vision loss in diabetic patients.
• Understanding risk factors for DR progression is crucial for early intervention.
• Axial length, a measure of the eye's length, is a potential factor influencing DR development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between axial length and the presence and severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR).
• To analyze this relationship in patients with a diabetes duration of 10 years or more.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, observational, cross-sectional study design.
• Included 166 patients with diabetes for ≥10 years, excluding those with other ocular diseases or prior intraocular surgery (except uncomplicated cataract surgery).
• Measured axial length using A-scan ultrasound and graded DR severity (no DR, non-proliferative DR, proliferative DR). Logistic regression models were used for analysis.

Main Results:

• Hypertension and insulin use were associated with any DR in multivariate analysis.
• Hypertension, renal impairment, pseudophakia, and axial length were associated with proliferative DR (PDR) in multivariate analysis.
• A statistically significant inverse relationship was found between axial length and PDR (p=0.024).

Conclusions:

• Axial length shows an inverse relationship with the development of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) in long-standing diabetes.
• No significant correlation was observed between axial length and the development of any diabetic retinopathy (DR).
• These findings suggest axial length may be a specific risk indicator for PDR in diabetic patients.