Prognostic Factors of Visual Acuity in Diabetes Mellitus

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: We performed a retrospective study to investigate the risk factors for visual prognosis in diabetes mellitus patients. METHODS: We reviewed 179 patients (358 eyes) who visited our hospital from January 1990 to January 2004. RESULTS The final visual outcome showed improvement in 28 (7.8%) eyes, no change in 193 (53.9%) eyes and worsening in 137 (38.3%) eyes. Duration of diabetes mellitus (p=0.01), diabetic retinopathy (p=0.001), higher grade diabetic retinopathy (p=0.002), progression of cataract (p=0.002), glaucoma (p=0.011), control of hypertension (p=0.001) and an abnormally low glomerular filtration rate (p=0.004) were all indicative of a high risk for decreased visual acuity. But other factors (age, type of diabetes mellitus, abnormality of electrocardiography, HbA1c, serum lipid) were not significantly correlated with visual prognosis (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that duration of diabetes mellitus, diabetic retinopathy, higher grade diabetic retinopathy, cataract, glaucoma, control of hypertension and abnormally low glomerular filtration rate were the risk factors of decreased visual acuity.