Abstract
Purpose :
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the evidence for an association between diabetic retinopathy and vitamin D deficiency
Methods :
We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 13 observational studies with 9,350 participants who had undergone assessment for both diabetic retinopathy and vitamin D deficiency. Pooled odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effect, Mantel-Haenszel analysis
Results :
There is a statistically significant association between diabetic retinopathy and vitamin D deficiency with a pooled odds ratio of 1.44 (95% CI: 1.15 to 1.81, P=0.001). There was also a statistically significant lower serum vitamin D level in patient subgroups with diabetic retinopathy vs control groups with a mean difference (MD) of -2.25 ng/mL (95% CI: -3.64 to -0.87, P=0.001)
Conclusions :
There is a statistically significant association between vitamin D deficiency and diabetic retinopathy. Vitamin D supplementation as a protective mechanism against the development and progression of diabetic retinopathy warrants further investigation
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.