title: Changes in choroidal thickness and corneal parameters in diabetic eyes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) on central corneal thickness (CCT), corneal endothelial parameters (endothelial cell density [ECD], average size [AVE], hexagonality [A6], polymegathism [SD]), and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), and to determine whether these parameters depend on the duration of DM and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 62 patients with type 2 DM and 65 healthy subjects were examined using a noncontact specular microscope, A-scan ultrasound, and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. The study parameters included medical history, age, eye axial length, CCT, ECD, AVE, A6, SD, and SFCT. The duration of DM and HbA1c level of the 2 latest tests were noted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SFCT (258.0 ± 74.4 µm) and ECD (2721.8 ± 264.1 cells/mm2) were significantly lower, and the CCT (566.7 ± 35.7 µm) higher, in diabetic patients than in the control group (313.1 ± 88.5 µm, 2967.3 ± 220.6 cells/mm2, 550.0 ± 56.4 µm, respectively) (p&lt;0.05). There were no differences in age, sex, or axial length between the diabetic and control groups (p&gt;0.05). Diabetic retinopathy and macular edema did not influence SFCT significantly (p&gt;0.05). No differences in endothelial parameters between groups and no correlations among HbA1c, duration of DM, and any of the examined parameters were found (p&gt;0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Diabetic patients have thicker corneas, lower ECD, and thinner subfoveal choroid than healthy subjects.
authors.affiliation: Center of Eye Diseases, Vilnius University, Vilnius - Lithuania.
authors.forename: Saulius
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Galgauskas
authors.affiliation: Center of Eye Diseases, Vilnius University, Vilnius - Lithuania.
authors.forename: Guoda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Laurinavičiūtė
authors.affiliation: Center of Eye Diseases, Vilnius University, Vilnius - Lithuania.
authors.forename: Dovilė
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Norvydaitė
authors.affiliation: Center of Eye Diseases, Vilnius University, Vilnius - Lithuania.
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stech
authors.affiliation: Center of Eye Diseases, Vilnius University, Vilnius - Lithuania.
authors.forename: Rimvydas
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ašoklis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D058452:Axial Length, Eye / Q000473:pathology; D002452:Cell Count; D048430:Cell Shape; D002829:Choroid / Q000473:pathology*; D015862:Choroid Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013997:Time Factors; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; C517652:hemoglobin A1c protein, human