layers in pediatric diabetes

PurposeOur aim was to compare optic disc parameters, retinal nerve fiber (RNFL) and macular ganglion cell layers between children and adolescents with diabetes mellitus (type 1) and healthy controls.MethodsSixty-three eyes of 63 pediatric diabetic patients without diabetic retinopathy and 44 eyes of 44 healthy controls were included in this cross-sectional and comparative study. Diabetic and control groups were similar in the aspect of age, gender and refractive error. Measurements of optic disc parameters (i.e., rim area, disc area, cup-to-disc ratio, cup volume), thickness of RNFL and macular ganglion cellinner plexiform layers (GCL+IPL) were taken with the spectral domain optical coherence tomography.ResultsThere were not statistically significant differences between the diabetic patients and healthy controls in terms of intraocular pressure (p=0.14), retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (p=0.61), rim area (p=0.92), disc area (p=0.10), vertical cup-to-disc ratio (p=0.16), cup volume (p=0.13), and average macular GCL+IPL thickness (p=0.43). On the other hand, binocular RNFL thickness symmetry percentage was statistically significantly different in the diabetic and control groups (p=0.01).ConclusionDiabetic children and adolescents without diabetic retinopathy have more binocular RNFL thickness asymmetry compared to healthy controls