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Changes in the cornea due to diabetes may protect against keratoconus
Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2009;247(10):1369-1374.
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Biomechanical measurements of the cornea in subjects with diabetes suggest a protective effect against development of keratoconus.
Previous studies have suggested that the changes to the extracellular matrix due to diabetes mellitus may confer a protective effect against keratoconus and/or glaucoma, specifically that subjects with diabetes may have a more pliable cornea and a thicker central corneal thickness.
The increased pliability may result in improved corneal hysteresis compared with subjects of the same age without diabetes. The Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study found that subjects with a corneal thickness less than 555 µm were at greater risk for development of glaucoma.
According to a study of 484 eyes, including 99 eyes in diabetic subjects, corneal hysteresis decreased with age, changing –0.036 mm Hg per year. However, corneal hysteresis was higher by an average of 0.55 mm Hg in eyes of subjects with diabetes.
Central corneal thickness increased significantly with age, an average of +0.7 µm per year, according to the study. However, there was no difference in subjects with diabetes compared with subjects without diabetes.