HIGH MYOPIA AND DIABETIC RETINOPATHY: A Contralateral Eye Study in Diabetic Patients With High Myopic Anisometropia.

Abstract

To examine an association between high myopia and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in diabetic patients with high myopic anisometropia.A total of 116 white diabetic patients (232 eyes) with high myopia (spherical equivalent > -5.00 diopters, D) anisometropia (difference ? -6 D) were enrolled in this cross-sectional, contralateral eye study. The frequency of DR was compared between the high myopic and the contralateral eyes.Compared with the fellow eyes, DR was significantly less frequent in high myopic side (27.6% vs. 100%, P < 0.001; relative risk, 0.28 with 95% confidence interval of 0.21-0.37). Similar significant trends were found for the incidence of nonproliferative (27.6% vs. 69%, P < 0.001) and proliferative DR (0% vs. 31%, P < 0.001). Diabetic retinopathy was also less severe in the same group.Using a contralateral eye study design prevented the influence of potential confounding factors inherent in similar previous case-control studies. On this basis, a protective role for high myopia against DR was established.