Anterior lens capsule thickness in diabetic and non-diabetic patients

Diabetes has been shown to affect the thickness of the basement membrane in various human tissues and organs. The purpose of this thesis is to determine whether diabetes can cause thickening of the anterior capsule basement membrane (ACBM), and correlate the findings with the duration and the severity of diabetes. For the purpose of this study, anterior lens capsule specimens of diabetic patients (DP), and non-diabetic patients (NDP) are collected from phaco-emulsification cataract surgeries. All cases are formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded and stained with H&E and periodic acid-Schiff. The ACBM thickness is measured and reviewed under a light microscope. The results of this thesis showed that the mean thickness of ACBM is significantly thicker in DP as compared to NDP. The ACBM thickness is increased with patient age in both DP and NDP. Moreover, in DP the ACBM thickness increased with the duration and the severity of diabetes