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Corneal epithelial barrier function after oxybuprocaine provocation in diabetics
T R Stolwijk1, J A van Best, J P Boor
1Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Hospital, The Netherlands.
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science
|March 1, 1990
Summary
Diabetes impairs corneal barrier function after local anesthetic exposure. This study found diabetic patients
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Diabetology
- Corneal Physiology
Background:
- Diabetes mellitus can affect various bodily systems, including ocular structures.
- Corneal epithelial barrier function is crucial for maintaining ocular health.
- Previous research on corneal barrier function in diabetes has yielded mixed results.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate corneal epithelial barrier function in patients with diabetes mellitus.
- To assess the impact of a local anesthetic on corneal permeability in diabetic individuals compared to healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Corneal epithelial permeability to fluorescein was measured using fluorophotometry.
- A local anesthetic (Oxybuprocaine) was instilled in one eye and saline in the contralateral eye of participants.
- Permeability ratios between the two eyes were calculated for each individual.
Main Results:
- Baseline corneal permeability in diabetic patients was similar to healthy controls.
- Diabetic patients (both non-insulin-dependent and insulin-dependent) showed significantly impaired corneal barrier function after local anesthetic provocation compared to controls.
- A linear correlation was observed between permeability ratios and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients.
Conclusions:
- Corneal epithelial barrier function is not inherently impaired in diabetes.
- Local anesthetics can transiently compromise corneal epithelial barrier function in diabetic patients.
- Glycosylated hemoglobin levels may be associated with the degree of barrier impairment in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.