Diabetes and hyperglycemia associated with central corneal thickness among Malay population

A study conducted on a Malay population of 40- to 80-year-olds living in the southwestern part of Singapore has found a correlation between diabetes and hyperglycemia and a thicker central cornea.

Daniel H.W. Su, MMed(Ophth), FRCS(Ed), and colleagues examined the relationship between diabetes and hyperglycemia and central corneal thickness (CCT) in the population-based cross-sectional study of 3,280 Malay adults. Of the 3,280 participants, data on CCT were available on 3,239 right eyes.

CCT was normally distributed, with a mean of 541.2 µm, the authors noted.

Overall, 748 participants had diabetes (23%), and central corneas were found to be significantly thicker in those with diabetes than those without, 547.2 µm vs. 539.3 µm (P < 0.001), according to the study. Looking at the total population, those with higher serum glucose and higher Hb A1C also showed significantly thicker CCT than those within normal ranges.

After adjusting for age, IOP, body mass index and axial length, multiple linear regression models showed that patients with diabetes had central corneas that were an average of 6.50 µm thicker than those without diabetes.

"This population-based study among Malays showed that diabetes and hyperglycemia are associated with thicker central corneas, independent of age and IOP levels. These findings may have implications for understanding the relationship between diabetes and glaucoma," the authors said.

The study was published in the June issue of Ophthalmology.