Comparison of Dry Eye Findings in Diabetes Mellitus Patients with and without Diabetic Foot

Purpose: To compare dry eye findings in diabetes mellitus patients with and without diabetic foot. Methods: Diabetes mellitus patients with and without diabetic foot were included in this controlled cross-sectional study. Tear break-up time (BUT) and Schirmer test results of each participant were noted. Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire was administered to each participant. Results: There were 48 diabetic patients in the study; half of them had diabetic foot (n=24). The patients with and without diabetic foot were similar in age and sex distribution. The median levels of BUT (4.0 [3.0 – 6.0] seconds for the right eye, 4.5 [3.0 – 6.5] seconds for the left eye in patients with diabetic foot) (4.0 [3.8 – 6.2] seconds for the right eye, 5.0 [3.8 – 5.2] second for the left eye in patients without diabetic foot) and Schirmer’s test (7.0 [5.0 – 17.0] mm for the right eye, 11.0 [6.8 – 17.0] mm for the left eye in patients with diabetic foot) (11.0 [7.0 – 15.8] mm for the right eye, 14.5 [6.5 – 18.5] mm for the left eye in patients without diabetic foot) were similar in both groups of patients. The scores of OSDI were similar in patients with diabetic foot (22.7 [13.5 – 36.2]) and without diabetic foot (28.4 [13.6 – 41.5]) (p=0.749). Conclusion: The Schirmer test, BUT test, and OSDI score were lower in patients with diabetic foot, but they were not statistically significant. In future studies, peripheral neuropathy examination and corneal confocal microscopy may be beneficial when evaluating dry eye parameters in this group of patients.