title: Lack of Correlation Between Diabetic Macular Edema and Thickness of the Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We compared the thickness of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) and/against the thickness in the normal population.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study compared the RNFL thickness in patients with DME (DME group) using optical coherence tomography (OCT) to a comparable group of healthy (nondiabetic) patients (control group). Measurements were performed in different/the four peripapillary quadrants and in the macula region for the fovea, parafoveal, and perifoveal areas. The mean RNFL thickness was compared between both groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were fifty eyes of fifty nonglaucomatous diabetic patients with DME (29 with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy [PDR] and 21 with PDR), and fifty eyes in the control group. The macular regions were significantly thicker in the DME group compared to the control group. The central foveal thickness was 149 μ thicker in eyes with DME compared to the control group (P < 0.001). The difference in total RNFL thickness between groups was not significant (4.4 μ [95% confidence interval: -3.1 to +12]). The between-group differences in peripapillary RNFL thickness by age group, glycemic control, history of intravitreal treatments, and refractive errors were not statistically significant (P > 0.05, all comparisons).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Peripapillary RNFL thickness measurements were not significantly influenced by DME. Hence, OCT parameters could be used to monitor/early detect glaucomatous eyes even in the presence of DME.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Specialised Medical Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hisham S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Alkuraya
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Specialised Medical Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Saeed M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Al-Gehedan
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Specialised Medical Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Abdulrahman M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Alsharif
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Specialised Medical Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Tariq
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Alasbali
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Specialised Medical Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Nancy M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Lotfy
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Rajiv
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Khandekar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology*; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods; D014792:Visual Acuity
keywords: Diabetes; Diabetic Macular Edema; Glaucoma; Optical Coherence Tomography; Retinal Layer Thickness