J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2001 Mar;42(3):441-445.

Axial Length and Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

• Yoo C
• Han HS
• Huh K

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.

Keyword

Axial length; Proliferative diabetic retinopathy

MeSH Terms

Cataract
Diabetic Retinopathy*
Humans
Korea
Vitrectomy