Purpose:
To compare the body mass index (BMI) of diabetic patients with moderate visual loss to those with stable visual acuities following treatment for clinically significant macular oedema (CSMO).
Methods:
A retrospective case–control study involving diabetic patients from a screened population who underwent laser treatment for CSMO from January 1998 to December 2001. Diabetic patients were diagnosed with CSMO using criteria established by the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (EDTRS). The Snellen visual acuities of each patient were obtained over a three–year period and converted to its LogMAR equivalent. The average BMI of diabetic patients with moderate visual loss (defined as a loss of more than or equal to 0.3 LogMAR units) were compared to patients with stable visual acuities. Eyes with pre–existing conditions and other significant ocular pathologies such as amblyopia, retinal vein occlusions and retinal detachments were excluded (adhering to the ETDRS protocol).
Results:
90 patients with CSMO were identified, of which 14 patients had moderate visual loss compared to 76 patients with stable visual acuities. The average BMI of patients with moderate visual loss was 32.8 kg/m2 (95% CI 29.8 – 35.7 kg/m2) compared to an average BMI of 29.4 kg/m2 (95% CI 28.2 – 30.6 kg/m2) in patients with stable visual acuities (p = 0.03; un–paired Student's t–Test).
Conclusions:
This study demonstrates that a higher average BMI in diabetic patients undergoing treatment for CSMO is associated with a worse visual outcome.
Keywords: diabetic retinopathy • macula/fovea • diabetes