Is the central corneal thickness of diabetic patients thicker than that of non-diabetics' eyes?

The purpose of the study was to evaluate central corneal thickness in diabetic patients and to compare the results with controls without diabetes mellitus. Sixty-five diabetic patients (65 eyes) constituted the study group, and 50 eyes were from the healthy control group (50 non-diabetic patients). The study group was subdivided into group 1 (no diabetic retinopathy, n = 35), group 2 (mild to moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, n = 20), and group 3 (proliferative diabetic retinopathy, n = 10). Central corneal thickness measurements in microns were determined using ultrasound pachymetry. The mean central corneal thickness was significantly greater in the study group (567.14 mu m +/- 14.63 mu m) than in the control group (531.14 mu m +/- 5 mu m). In addition, the mean central corneal thickness was found to be greater in group 3 (577 mu m +/- 12 mu m) than in groups 1 (562 mu m +/- 13 mu m) and 2 (566.86 mu m +/- 15 mu m), but the difference did not reach statistical significance. We found that the mean central corneal thickness for diabetic patients was thicker than that of the healthy controls. Thicker central corneas associated with diabetes mellitus should be taken into consideration when obtaining accurate intraocular pressure measurements in diabetics.