Axial Length and Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between axial length(AL) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy(PDR). METHODS: We reviewed the medical charts of the nondiabetic patients who had undergone cataract surgery and diabetic patients who had undergone vitrectomy or cataract surgery at Korea University Kuro Hospital between January, 1998 and July, 2000. Eyes with previous ocular surgery or other severe ocular disease were excluded from the analysis. Eyes with axial length greater than 24 mm were also excluded. The eyes were divided into 4 groups Non-DM group, nondiabetic; Non-DR group, diabetic without retinopathy; NPDR group, with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy; and PDR group, with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Each group contained 42 eyes which were matched for age and sex. RESULTS: The AL values of each group were compared. The mean AL of the PDR group(22.2+/-0.8 mm) was significantly shorter than each of the other groups Non-DM group(23.1+/-0.7 mm, p<0.05); Non-DR group(22.9+/-0.9 mm, p<0.05); NPDR group(22.8+/-0.8 mm, p<0.05). Within the PDR group, the eyes that had received preoperative panretinal photocoagulation(27 eyes, mean 22.0+/-1.1 mm) showed a shorter AL than those that had not(15 eyes, mean 22.7+/-0.8 mm), which was not statistically significant(P=0.08, t-test). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that a shorter axial length may be associated with severe proliferative diabetic retinopathy.