Relationship between diabetic macular edema and choroidal layer thickness.
Hiroaki Endo1, Satoru Kase2, Mitsuo Takahashi1
1Department of Ophthalmology, Teine Keijinkai Hospital, Sapporo, Japan.
Plos One
|January 8, 2020
Summary
Diabetic macular edema (DME) is associated with thicker choroidal layers in diabetic patients, particularly in those not receiving systemic diabetic treatments. This suggests choroidal thickness changes may play a role in DME development.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Diabetology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a significant cause of vision loss in diabetic patients.
- Choroidal layer thickness is a potential indicator of ocular health in diabetes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between diabetic macular edema (DME) and choroidal layer thickness in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM).
Main Methods:
- A retrospective observational study involving 318 eyes of 159 DM patients and 100 eyes of 79 healthy controls.
- Central choroidal thickness (CCT) and its layers were measured using enhanced depth imaging (EDI)-OCT.
- Patients were categorized based on the presence of DME and systemic diabetic treatment (DT).
Main Results:
- A total CCT layer was significantly thicker in DME+ eyes compared to DME- eyes.
- The outer CCT layer was also significantly thicker in DME+ eyes.
- Specifically, the total and outer CCT layers were significantly thicker in DME+ eyes without diabetic treatment (DME+DT-) compared to DME+ eyes with diabetic treatment (DME+DT+).
Conclusions:
- The total and outer choroidal layer thickness are significantly increased in diabetic patients with DME, especially those not undergoing systemic diabetic treatment.
- These findings suggest a potential link between choroidal thickness and the underlying pathology of DME.
