Purpose:
To explore the association between retinal neurodegeneration and metabolic parameters in progressive dysglycemia.
Method:
A cross-sectional study was performed on 68 participants: normal glucose tolerance (n = 23), prediabetes (n = 25), and Type 2 diabetes without diabetic retinopathy (n = 20). Anthropometric assessment and laboratory sampling for HbA1c, fasting glucose, insulin, c-peptide, lipid profile, renal function, and albumin-to-creatinine ratio were conducted. Central and pericentral macular thicknesses on spectral domain optical coherence tomography were compared with systemic parameters.
Results:
Baseline demographic characteristics were similar across all groups. Cuzick’s trend test revealed progressive full-thickness macular thinning with increasing dysglycemia across all three groups (P = 0.015). The urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio was significantly correlated with full-thickness superior (R = −0.435; P = 0.0002), inferior (R = −0.409; P = 0.0005), temporal (R = −0.429; P = 0.003), and nasal (R = −0.493; P