Retinal nerve fibre layer loss in diabetes mellitus without retinopathy

New study provides no new information Many diabetics worldwide might benefit if a simple, reliable, objective, and non-invasive technical method were available to detect and monitor the development of retinopathy and visual deficits without requiring a professional examination. With this ultimate goal in mind, Lopes de Faria and colleagues describe their initial use of scanning laser polarimetry (SLP) to measure retinal nerve fibre layer thickness in diabetics without retinopathy in this issue of the BJO (p 725). Evaluation of the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) as a means of assessing optic nerve health has been a clinical and investigational tool for at least 30 years. Ophthalmoscopic scrutiny of the nerve fibre layer was first advocated by Hoyt1–3 and this approach was soon enhanced by the description of photographic manipulations designed to increase the contrast between retinal areas with different nerve fibre layer thicknesses. …