title: Evaluation of the optic nerve head with the heidelberg retina tomograph in diabetes mellitus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate the optic nerve head by means of the Heidelberg retina tomograph (HRT) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group consisted of 47 patients with DM [group 1; 29 patients without diabetic retinopathy (DR) and 18 patients with non-proliferative DR] and 50 normal subjects (group 2). All patients and controls underwent a complete ophthalmological examination, and the optic nerve head topography of both eyes was evaluated by using HRT-I. One eye of these cases was randomly selected for statistical analysis. Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA(1c)) levels of all the study participants were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The HRT parameters were similar between diabetic and control groups (p > 0.05). In group 1, in the patients with duration of diabetes < or =10 years, when compared with the patients with duration of diabetes >10 years, we did not detect any statistically significant difference between the HRT parameters (p > 0.05). There was no statistically significant correlation between HBA(1c) levels and rim volume (r = -0.078, p = 0.601), and mean retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (r = 0.058, p = 0.700) in DM patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that non-glaucomatous diabetic patients had no decreased neuroretinal rim when compared with non-diabetic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. oyatekeli@tr.net
authors.forename: Oya
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tekeli
authors.forename: M Erol
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Turaçli
authors.forename: Leyla Suna
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Atmaca
authors.forename: Atilla Halil
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Elhan
mesh_terms: D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003941:Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009898:Optic Disk / Q000473:pathology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014054:Tomography / Q000379:methods