Amplitude of accommodation is reduced in pre-presbyopic diabetic patients

Abstract

Introduction: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is increasing exponentially often causing an enormous public health burden due to changing lifestyles. People with diabetes have accelerated age-related biometric ocular changes compared with people without diabetes.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of diabetes on the amplitude of accommodation in pre-presbyopic diabetic patients, and compare the results with age-matched healthy individuals.

Methods: The study population consisted of 84 diabetic patients (30–40 years of age, 36 ± 2.5 years and 81 (35 ± 2.7 years) agematched healthy normal controls. Using the best correction for distance visual acuity, the amplitude of accommodation was measured using the subjective push-up technique. The influence of age and duration of diabetes on amplitude of accommodation were analysed using the regression analysis.

Results: The mean amplitude of accommodation was lower in the diabetic group (6.34 ± 1.39 dioptre (D)) compared with the controls (8.60 ± 2.00 D), which was statistically significant (p = 0.000). There was a little negative correlation between the amplitude of accommodation and duration of diabetes (–0.20, p = 0.069).

Conclusion: People with diabetes showed lower amplitude of accommodation when compared with age-matched controls. The results suggest that diabetic people will experience presbyopia earlier in life than people without diabetes. Early detection and rehabilitation of diabetic patients with corrective spectacle lenses is recommended.

Keywords: accommodation, diabetes, presbyopia