Pattern Visual Evoked Potential Changes in Diabetic Patients without Retinopathy

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of vision loss.
• Early detection of diabetic neuropathy is crucial for timely intervention.
• Pattern visual evoked potential (PVEP) can detect subclinical visual pathway dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate PVEP parameters in diabetic patients without retinopathy.
• To assess the influence of HbA1c levels and diabetes duration on PVEP.
• To determine the impact of different PVEP check sizes on latency measurements.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-eight type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and 26 healthy controls were enrolled.
• Comprehensive ophthalmic examinations and PVEP recordings were performed on the right eye.
• PVEP analysis focused on P100 and N135 latencies across various check sizes.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in P100 latency (1-degree check size) and N135 latency (2-degree check size) were observed between controls and diabetic patients with varying HbA1c levels.
• Weak, positive correlations were found between diabetes duration and P100 latency (7- and 15-minute check sizes) and N135 latency (15-minute check size).

Conclusions:

• Diabetic patients without retinopathy exhibit prolonged P100 latency (1-degree check size) and N135 latency (2-degree check size).
• Diabetes duration significantly correlates with P100 and N135 latencies in PVEP.
• PVEP, sensitive to check size, may aid in detecting early visual pathway changes in diabetes.