[Effect on the retinal fiber thickness in early diabetes]

To observe the change of the retinal fiber layer thickness in patients at early stage of diabetes.

A case-control study. A total of 157 patients with diabetes, who were divided into four groups according to the degree of diabetic retinopathy in fundus photos, and 40 normal patients were examined by optical coherence tomography (OCT). The difference among the group was assessed by χ(2) test, One-Way ANOVA test and LSD test.

The superior RNFL around optic nerve was not statistically thinner in NDR group than normal group (P = 0.195) . The superior RNFL around optic nerve was statistically thinner in miNPDR group, moNPDR group and sNPDR group (P = 0.13,0.02,0.00) . The thickness of fovea in both moNPDR group and sNPDR group were thicker than normal (P = 0.003,0.001) . In fovea, the superior RNFL was thinner in all diabetic groups (P < 0.01).

In early stage of diabetes, the RNFL both in optic nerve and fovea were thinner, which would precede the microvascular changes.