Abstract
Purpose :
To enhance the understanding of dry eye (DE) in diabetes by evaluating the ocular surface characteristics and the levels of tear inflammatory cytokines.
Methods :
Subjects were divided into four groups: 32 patients in diabetes with DE group; 24 patients in diabetes without DE group; 28 patients in non-diabetes with DE group and 29 healthy volunteers in normal group. Ocular surface disease index (OSDI) was self-answered and ocular surface characteristics including tear-film breakup time (BUT), Schirmer I test, cornea fluorescein staining (CFS) and corneal sensitivity were evaluated. Concentrations of epidermal growth factor (EGF), IL-17A, IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were measured by mutiplex bead analysis. Spearman correlations between cytokines and ocular surface parameters were calculated.
Results :
The level of EGF in tears significantly increased in diabetes with DE group and positively correlated with the CFS score and negatively correlated with the Schirmer I test in this group (P<0.05). No differences were found in the levels of IL-17A, IL-1β and TNF-α in diabetes with DE and diabetes without DE group comparing to normal group (P>0.05). Non-diabetes with DE group showed significantly increased levels of IL-17A, IL-1β and TNF-α in tears comparing to normal group and the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in tears positively correlated with CFS score (P<0.05).
Conclusions :
Our study showed that levels of EGF in diabetes with DE have potential to be the diagnostic biomarker of DE in diabetes and inflammation may not play important role in the pathogenesis of DE in diabetes.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.