Relationship between contrast sensitivity and metabolic control in diabetics with and without retinopathy

Contrast sensitivity was studied in diabetic adolescents and young adults with and without retinopathy in order to evaluate their central vision, to analyze the relationship of metabolic control to the presence and severity of retinopathy, and to re-evaluate the response to this test after a significant improvement in metabolic control. Twenty adolescent and young adult diabetics without retinopathy and 40 diabetics with retinopathy of varying degree were enrolled in the study; 20 healthy age and sex-matched subjects served as controls. Contrast sensitivity was assessed with a CSV-1000 contrast testing instrument, testing for four spatial frequencies, 3, 6, 12 and 18 cycles per degree (cpd). Diabetics with no retinopathy showed a weak but significant difference at 18 cpd compared with controls (P = 0.04), while diabetics with background retinopathy showed a significant reduction of contrast sensitivity at 12 and 18 cpd when compared with controls (P<0.001). In patients with preproliferative/proliferative ...