To Compare Corneal Sensitivity in Type 2 Diabetics to Controls at University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.

Cornea And Anterior Segment

Abstract

Introduction: The cornea is the most densely innervated tissue in the body[1]. Its innervations provide protective and trophic functions for corneal repair in relation to disease, trauma, or surgery[1]. The cornea is about 300-600 times more sensitive than the  skin[2] and is supplied by the long ciliary nerves which are derived from the trigeminal nerve[3]. Corneal lesions can be found in  approximately one-half of asymptomatic patients with diabetes mellitus and were first reported over thirty years ago[4]. Symptomatic diabetic corneal complications are usually heralded by subclinical abnormalities such as decreased corneal sensitivity[5]. Several studies[6,7,8] on Caucasians and Africans have highlighted a significant difference in the sensitivity between  diabetics and diabetic- free control. Aim: To compare the corneal sensitivity of diabetics with controls using the Cochet –Bonnet aesthesiometer.

Methods: This is a hospital-based case control study. The study involved consecutive recruitment of diabetics as they presented to the Endocrinology Clinic of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH). Controls were recruited simultaneously; there was no  bias in subject selection. Study proforma was used to access demographic information and disease-related variables including past  medical history, alcohol history, drug history, use of topical medications and past ocular surgeries. The Cochet- Bonnet aesthesiometer  was used to measure corneal sensitivity on all study subjects. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for  Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20.0 and p value of d”0.05 was taken as statistically significant.