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Refractive Changes Associated with Diabetes Mellitus
Snježana Kaštelan1, Antonela Gverović-Antunica2, Goran Pelčić3
1a Department of Ophthalmology , University Hospital Dubrava , Zagreb , Croatia.
Background And Methods:
Diabetes mellitus is the most prevalent endocrinedisease in developed countries. In people with diabetes in addition to visionloss caused by diabetic retinopathy transient visual disturbances may occurfrequently caused by refractive changes. These changes in refraction are associated with variations in blood glucose levelsbut the underlying mechanism is still not fully understood. A systematic reviewwith a comprehensive literature search was performed in order to clarify the underlyingmechanisms regarding the connection of glycaemic control and refractive shift.
Results:
Some studies have shown that increasedblood sugar leads to a myopic shift whilst others demonstrated that this changeis in a hyperopic direction. Changes in visual acuity in patients with diabetescould be an indicator of inadequate metabolic control or even the first sign ofdiabetes mellitus.
Conclusion:
This reviewgives a brief overview of current research regarding potential mechanisms ofglycemic control influence on refractive error. The aim isto emphasizethe importance ofunderstanding the relationship ofblood glucose concentration and refractive changes as one of thecommon but overlooked diabetic complications.
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