Cumulative Incidence and Risk Factors of Diabetic Retinopathy

In order to investigate the cumulative incidence and risk factors for diabetic retinopathy among non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, 116 patients which given diagnosis of diabetes at age 30 years or older who had been followed-up for more than 10 years and were initially free from retinopathy were analysed retrospectively. Several risk factors for retinopathy were analysed at the initial examinations: sex, age at the onset, age at the initial examination, duration, fasting plasma glucose(FPG), two-hour postpradial plasma glucose(pp2), blood pressure, hypertension status, therapeutic regimen, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, body mass index. After a mean follow-up time of 11.7 years. The cumulative incidence was 31.0%. By univariate analysis. Significant risk factors of retinopathy were age at the onset, age at the initial examination. FPG, PP2, therapeutic regimen. However, By using multivariate analysis. Independent risk factors were not found.

Cataract Surgery Using a Sleral Pocket Incision of 7 mm in Length

During a eight-month period from june 1993, cataract surgery using a scleral pocket of 7 mm in length was performed on 30 eyes of 26 patients. In order to evaluate the effect of chamber entry length and closure technique on astigmatic changes and visual recovary, three different surgical procedures were carried out and compared retrospectively. The visual acuity, refraction and keratometry were assessed at every week. The H group(15 eyes) had a single horizontal suture after phacoemulsification followed by implantation of a one piece of PMMA lens through 7 mm chamber entry. The F group(6 eyes) had a single horizontal suture followed by implantation of a foldable lens through 4 mm chamber entry. The R group(9 eyes) had a single radial suture followed by implantation of one piece of PMMA lens through 7 mm chamber entry. Overall uncorrected visual acuity of 20/40 or better was 67% at 1 week, 93% at 8 weeks postoperatively and there was no statistically significant difference among the three groups(p>0.05). The overall change of mean refractive astigmatism from 1 to 8 weeks postoperatively was 0.69D and there was no statistically significant difference among the three groups(p>0.05). The overall change of mean keratometric astigmatism method from 1 to 8 weeks postoperatively was 0.12D and there was no statistically significant difference among the three groups(p>0.05). Early clinical observations indicate that cataract surgery using a scleral pocket of 7 mm in length shows early visual recovery and minimizes surgically induced astigmatism without serious complications.

Pupil Cycle Time in the Diabetics

In order to evaluate the ocular autonomic dysfunction in diabetics, pupil cycle time(PCT) was assessed in 201diabetics and 33controls. PCT was significantly different between the diabetics and controls and prolonged in diabetics in regard to the severity of retinopathy(p<0.05). PCT was significantly prolonged in diabetics in regard to the diabetic peripheral neuropathy and nephropathy(p<0.05). PCT was significantly different among the diabetic groups in regard to the duration of diabetes(p<0.05). Sustainde PCT was unmeasurable in 56.7% of diabetics and in 72.3% of proliferative diabetic retinopathy compared with 28.8% of controls(p<0.05). Ocular autonomic dysfunction in diabetics correlated closely with the severity of the diabetic retinopathy, diabetic petiphetal neuropathy and nephropathy, diabetic duration.