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Mesopic foveal contrast sensitivity is impaired in diabetic patients without retinopathy

  • Retinal Disorders
  • Published:
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Abstract

Background

Contrast sensitivity (CS) has been studied extensively to determine its effectiveness as a test for diagnosing early and advanced diabetic retinopathy. Various techniques have been adopted to measure CS, and most of them reported a significant difference between diabetic and normal eyes. Our purpose is to demonstrate differences in foveal CS between diabetic patients without retinopathy and healthy subjects under mesopic and photopic conditions, using a simple, rapid computerized test.

Methods

Seventeen eyes of nine patients with type 2 diabetes without diabetic retinopathy were included. Fourteen eyes of seven non-diabetic patients served as controls. All the patients underwent a careful ophthalmologic examination, including ETDRS chart visual acuity, color photographs, and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Patients with any ocular disease were excluded. All eyes had a visual acuity of 20/25 or better, a normal eye examination and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Photopic and mesopic contrast sensitivity was tested using a computerized psychophysical static method involving four forced-choice procedures. The targets were Gabor patches with spatial frequencies of 3–12 cycles per degree (cpd). The mesopic testing was conducted in a completely darkened room; the monitor was covered with a neutral density filter, allowing luminance of only 0.9 cd/m2.

Results

The average age was similar: 59.1 ± 5.3 years in the diabetic group vs 61.4 ± 3.2 years in the control group. The average duration of diabetes was 16 years (range 6–26). The average visual acuity was 0.04 ± 0.01 logMAR and 0.01 ± 0.01 logMAR in the diabetic and control groups respectively. Photopic foveal CS was similar in both groups. Significantly lower CS was found in diabetic patients under mesopic conditions at a spatial frequency of 3 (p < 0.008). At higher spatial frequencies, the mesopic contrast sensitivity was very low in both groups and without a significant difference.

Conclusions

Mesopic foveal CS is impaired in diabetic patients despite good visual acuity, a normal fundus examination and normal OCT. Early central visual function impairment may occur in diabetic patients before the appearance of retinopathy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Goldschleger Eye Institute, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Tel-Aviv University, 52621, Tel-Aviv, Israel

    Gabriel Katz, Hani Levkovitch-Verbin, Giora Treister, Michael Belkin & Uri Polat

  2. The Institute of Endocrinology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel

    Jacob Ilany

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  1. Gabriel Katz
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  2. Hani Levkovitch-Verbin
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  3. Giora Treister
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  4. Michael Belkin
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  5. Jacob Ilany
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  6. Uri Polat
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Correspondence to Gabriel Katz.

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Katz, G., Levkovitch-Verbin, H., Treister, G. et al. Mesopic foveal contrast sensitivity is impaired in diabetic patients without retinopathy. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 248, 1699–1703 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-010-1413-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-010-1413-y

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