Corneal and retinal neuropathy in Diabetes
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Correlation between diabetic corneal neuropathy, retinal neuropathy and different stages of diabetic retinopathy.
IRAS ID
169736
Contact name
Harminder Dua
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 29 days
Research summary
This study aims to correlate between the different stages of diabetic retinopathy (commonest complication of diabetes. It occurs when high blood sugar levels damage the cells at the back of the eye (known as the retina) and changes in the corneal nerves (corneal neuropathy) due to diabetes whose prevalence continues to increase worldwide. The cornea is the transparent window of eye that allows light entry and focuses it on the retina. It is rich in nerves and its nerve supply is a very important factor in keeping the integrity and health of the epithelium of the cornea (outer most layer of cells).Diabetic patients suffer from loss of corneal innervation and sensation which result in defects in corneal epithelium. Corneal epithelial defects may lead to corneal infection which might lead to scarring of cornea and severe reduction of vision. This study will help us to identify corneal nerves affection earlier and thus intervene early to stop progression of damage. Furthermore, the findings of this study will offer researchers a means of developing topical medications for early treatment of diabetic corneal neuropathy. All patients with diabetes in macula clinics in Queens medical center are eligible to join this study over the next 24 months. The patients will undergo 2 sets of investigations:Retinal and corneal investigations. The retinal investigations are ocular coherence tomography, fluorescein angiography(FA) and multifocal electroretinography(ERG). Those are routine investigations that are done dalily for diabetic retinopathy patients with the aim of assessing the severity and grading of their disease. FA and ERG will be done only if needed in some patients.The ERG will also help in detecting the changes in the retinal nerves(retinal neuropathy)which is a secondary aim in this study. Invivo confocal microscopy(IVCM) which is a fast, non- invasive technique, will be done for all patients to detect corneal neuropathy.
REC name
South West - Central Bristol Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/SW/0186
Date of REC Opinion
11 Aug 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion