title: Increased Intraocular Pressure and Hyperglycemic Level in Diabetic Patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether hyperglycemic levels as determined from high hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels influence intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR).
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective chart review was performed on subjects with a diagnosis of NPDR and a corresponding HbA1c level measured within 90 days before or after an IOP measurement over a two-year period. Exclusion criteria included a diagnosis of glaucoma or treatment with IOP lowering medications or oral or topical steroids.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using 14.5mmHg as a baseline mean value for IOP, 42 subjects had an IOP < 14.5mmHg and mean HbA1c of 8.1±1.1, while 72 subjects had an IOP ≥ 14.5mmHg and a mean HbA1c of 9.0±2.1. Although there was an overlap in the confidence intervals, a significant difference (P = 0.01) in the mean HbA1c level was observed in regression analysis between the two groups. Importantly, diabetic subjects with elevated HbA1c levels rarely (<1%) exhibited reduced IOP levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Diabetic subjects with elevated HbA1c levels exhibited significantly higher IOPs compared to those with lower HbA1c levels. Findings from this study indicate an association between hyperglycemia and elevated IOP and that poor glycemic control may contribute to increased IOP levels in long-term diabetic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Maggie B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Hymowitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Donny
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Edward B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Feinberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.|Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Sayon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roy
mesh_terms: D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular
chemical_list: D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; C517652:hemoglobin A1c protein, human