Ocular Manifestations in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Relationship with duration and severity of the Disease

Background: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia. Ocular manifestations are among the most common and debilitating complications of T2DM. Objective: The objective of this study is to find out different ocular manifestations in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus of a duration of 0 – 5 years and its relation with the duration and severity of the disease. Methods: A prospective observational study of ocular manifestations in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) of duration 0-5 years attending tertiary care center, Bhubaneswar for 12 months. Detailed history, complete ocular examination, and relevant investigations were done on 560 eyes of 280 patients. Results: Out of 280 patients evaluated 130 (46.42%) were male and 150 (53.57%) were female. The most common ocular manifestation was cataract 121 (21.6%), followed by Diabetic retinopathy 48(8.57%), POAG 6(1.07%), Diabetic papillopathy 4(0.7%), BRVO 2(0.3%), 3rd Nerve palsy(0.3%). The most common type of cataract found was posterior subcapsular cataract 12(44.4%) among patients of T2DM of duration less than one year, nuclear type 64% among patients of T2DM of duration 1 to 5 years. Conclusion: These ocular findings suggest that an annual eye examination should initiated at the time of diabetes diagnosis, as it will help reduce visual morbidity.