title: HIGH MYOPIA AND DIABETIC RETINOPATHY: A Contralateral Eye Study in Diabetic Patients With High Myopic Anisometropia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine an association between high myopia and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in diabetic patients with high myopic anisometropia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 116 white diabetic patients (232 eyes) with high myopia (spherical equivalent > -5.00 diopters, D) anisometropia (difference ≥ -6 D) were enrolled in this cross-sectional, contralateral eye study. The frequency of DR was compared between the high myopic and the contralateral eyes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the fellow eyes, DR was significantly less frequent in high myopic side (27.6% vs. 100%, P < 0.001; relative risk, 0.28 with 95% confidence interval of 0.21-0.37). Similar significant trends were found for the incidence of nonproliferative (27.6% vs. 69%, P < 0.001) and proliferative DR (0% vs. 31%, P < 0.001). Diabetic retinopathy was also less severe in the same group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using a contralateral eye study design prevented the influence of potential confounding factors inherent in similar previous case-control studies. On this basis, a protective role for high myopia against DR was established.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Ophthalmology, Farshchian Teaching Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; †Department of Epidemiology, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; and ‡Neurosciences Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Nooshin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bazzazi
authors.forename: Siamak
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akbarzadeh
authors.forename: Minoo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yavarikia
authors.forename: Jalal
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Poorolajal
authors.forename: Daniel F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Fouladi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography / Q000379:methods; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D047728:Myopia, Degenerative / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012029:Refraction, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult