Journal of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology
Open Access

Abstract

Spectrum of Ocular Features in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Modupe Medina Balogun* and Ibironke Jadesola Akinola

Introduction: Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1 DM) accounts for most of the Diabetes Mellitus (DM) that occurs in children and adolescents. Features of T1 DM include ocular changes, nephropathy and neuropathy among others. The study aimed to identify the early ocular signs of T1 DM most especially those that can cause blindness and the age at which they manifest.

Case presentation: The study was a prospective case-control one. Study subjects were recruited from the Pediatric Endocrine clinic and the children’s general outpatient clinic. Information obtained from patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and controls was entered into a proforma. An ophthalmic examination was performed on the subjects. Statistical analysis was done with the Software Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.

Results: The mean age of the cases and control groups was 11.13 ± 3.52 years (range 5-19 years) and 11.00 ± 3.46 years (range 5-18 years) respectively. The average duration of time since diagnosis of TIDM was 1.8 ± 2.03 years (median 1 year) and the mean HbA1 for cases and controls was 10.16% ± 3.68 and 5.22% ± 0.862 respectively. The Tear-film Break-Up Time (TBUT), Central Corneal Thickness (CCT) and Intra-Ocular Pressure (IOP) in the cases and controls were 13.96 ± 5.6 vs. 11.35 ± 6.10 secs, 560.35 ± 36.03 μm vs. 566.56 ± 38.09 μm and 16.77 ± 4.9 mmHg vs. 16.19 ± 5.4 mmHg respectively.

Conclusion: Ocular features of T1 DM revealed in our study were increased TBUT, IOP and reduced CCT. There were no cases of dry eyes, cataract or diabetic retinopathy. We recommend a larger sample size with a multi-center study that will show if our findings truly reflect that of the population of children with T1 DM. We also recommend that screening for ocular features of diabetes commence from one year after the diagnosis of T1 DM or at the age of ten years, whichever comes first.

Published Date: 2024-03-25; Received Date: 2024-02-22