CORRELATION BETWEEN CENTRAL CORNEAL THICK-NESS AND DIABETES IN SUDANESE PATIENTS

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the correlation between central corneal thickness (CCT), and diabetes in Sudanese patients.

Material and Methods:  This is a cross-sectional study conducted in the ophthalmology clinics of Khartoum state ophthalmic Hospitals. 160 subjects from different age groups were studied. An ultrasound pachymeter was used to measure CCT. The sample was divided into two groups, 80 of them were non-diabetic subjects, and 80 were diabetic patients.

Results: The average central corneal thickness in diabetic patients was 541.61± 22.92 microns with a range between 513 and 586. The average central corneal thickness found in non-diabetic patients was 518.41 ± 34.09 microns with range of 448 to 555. The increase in central corneal thickness found in diabetic patients compared to non-diabetic patients was statistically significant (p<0.005). Although CCT increase with increase of the duration of diabetes, it was not statistically significant. No statistically significant difference was shown between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Conclusion: Diabetic patients had an increased central corneal thickness when compared with non-diabetic patients. This results correlate with previous studies done in Spain, America and others.