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Purpose: To compare the prevalences of diabetic retinopathy in diabetes mellitus patients, with and without primary open-angle glaucoma, with a view to determine if glaucoma is a risk factor for the development of diabetic retinopathy., Methods: Cross-sectional, comparative study consisting of 86 diabetic patients with glaucoma matched with 86 diabetic patients without glaucoma. The two groups were matched by age, sex and duration of diabetes mellitus. Demographic data were obtained via patient medical records and self-administered questionnaires. Participants underwent a standardized examination protocol including blood pressure measurement and ocular examination. Main outcome measure was the presence of diabetic retinopathy., Results: Two hundred and ninety-two eyes (144 glaucomatous eyes and 148 non-glaucomatous eyes) of 172 participants with diabetes mellitus were assessed. The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy among 86 participants with glaucoma comorbidity was 23.6%, while the prevalence among 86 non-glaucomatous participants was 33.8% (p = 0.06). After the regression analysis, controlling for systemic and ocular risk factors for diabetic retinopathy, the odds of developing diabetic retinopathy were significantly higher in the glaucomatous eyes compared with eyes without glaucoma (OR: 2.75; p = 0.03; 95% CI: 1.10-6.87)., Conclusion: This study demonstrated that glaucomatous diabetic eyes were almost three times more likely to develop diabetic retinopathy compared to non-glaucomatous diabetic eyes. Prospective studies may be required to establish a risk-cause relationship. Ocular perfusion pressure control should be considered in patients with diabetes mellitus and glaucoma.

Purpose: To determine the relationship between corneal sensitivity and diabetic retinopathy among diabetics attending Lagos University Teaching Hospital, compared to their age-sex-matched non-diabetics, with a view to proposing its use as a screening tool for diabetic retinopathy., Methods: The study was a hospital-based comparative cross-sectional study among diabetics aged 25-65 years and their age-sex-matched non-diabetics at Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. Interviewer-based questionnaire was administered. Corneal sensitivity was assessed with Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometer. Dilated fundoscopy examination was carried out using slit-lamp bio-microscope with 78D lens and binocular indirect ophthalmoscope., Results: A total of 120 diabetics and 120 age- and sex-matched non-diabetics were enrolled into the study. Among the diabetics, the mean corneal sensitivity was 52.6 ± 6.9 mm, which was statistically lower than among non-diabetics - 58.2 ± 3.0 mm (p-value < 0.05). Twenty-one percent of the diabetic respondents had diabetic retinopathy. The mean cornea sensitivity was statistically lower among diabetics who had developed diabetic retinopathy compared to those with no diabetic retinopathy (48.9 ± 7.3 vs. 55.3 ± 5.4, p < 0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of the aesthesiometer for proliferative diabetic retinopathy at 55 mm cut-off were 100% and 58%, respectively., Conclusion: Cornea sensitivity was significantly lower among diabetics with retinopathy compared to those without retinopathy. Also, the degree of cornea sensation loss among diabetics reduced significantly with severity of diabetic retinopathy. Larger validity studies need to be conducted to further assess the use of corneal aesthesiometer as a screening tool for diabetic retinopathy among non-ophthalmologists and other cadres of health workers.