Original Paper

Tear Film Function in Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Retinopathy
Ling Yu^a, Xiaoming Chen^a, Gang Qin^b, Hanping Xie^c, Peng Lv^a

Departments of
^aOphthalmology and
^bOtolaryngology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, and
^cDepartment of Ophthalmology, Southwest Eye Hospital, Third Military University, Chongqing, China

Address of Corresponding Author

Ophthalmologica 2008;222:284-291 (DOI: 10.1159/000140256)

  Key Words

• Diabetes mellitus
• Tear film function
• Diabetic retinopathy

  Abstract

Purpose: To investigate whether diabetes mellitus is correlated with tear film dysfunction. Methods: Tear film function tests including tear film breakup time (BUT), fluorescein staining, Schirmer I test, rose Bengal staining, total tear protein detection, tear sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and TMS-4 corneal topography were performed. A dry-eye questionnaire was used. Results: Compared with the control group and nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) group, in the proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) group, the BUT and the value of the Schirmer I test were reduced significantly (p < 0.01); corneal fluorescein staining scores, the positive rate of rose Bengal staining and the surface regularity index (SRI) and surface asymmetry index (SAI) were higher (p < 0.01); concentrations of lactoferrin and tear-specific prealbumin were lower (p < 0.01, p < 0.05, respectively). In diabetic patients, the SRI and SAI were positively correlated with fluorescein staining scores (r = 0.754, 0.480, p < 0.01, respectively), and the dry-eye symptoms were significantly related to an abnormal BUT and Schirmer I test (p < 0.01, respectively). Conclusion: The declined tear film function is severer in the patients with PDR than in those with NPDR. Besides the traditional methods, tear SDS-PAGE and TMS corneal topographic indices contribute to the discovery of tear film dysfunction in diabetic patients.

Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Hanping Xie
Southwest Eye Hospital, Third Military University
Chongqing (China)
Tel. +86 159 2865 7616, Fax +86 028 8544 9324
E-Mail yuling_xiehanping@hotmail.com

  Article Information

Received: June 22, 2007
Accepted after revision: October 26, 2007
Published online: June 18, 2008
Number of Print Pages : 8
Number of Figures : 4, Number of Tables : 6, Number of References : 21