Correlation of corneal thickness with blood glucose control in diabetes mellitus

The aim of this study was to prove the existence of a correlation between corneal thickness and glycaemic control in insulin-dependent patients. Ultrasound pachometry and blood glucose measurements were taken in 87 patients three times a day: fasting, two, and four hours after lunch. The sample was divided into three groups of patients: 30 of them did not have retinopathy, 30 presented background retinopathy and 27 proliferative retinopathy. Thirty normal age-matched subjects were the control group. No correlation was found between pachometry values, blood glucose and duration of diabetes in the three groups (p > 0.05). A significant increase in corneal thickness was found in patients with background and proliferative retinopathy compared to the others (p < 0.01). No corneal thickness differences resulted between background and proliferative retinopathy (p = 0.74).