[Variation of central corneal thickness in diabetic patients as detected by ultrasonic pachymetry].

OBJECTIVE To prove the existence of a correlation between central corneal thickness and diabetes. METHODS Ultrasound pachymetry measurements were made in 1,000 patients. The sample was divided into two groups of patients: 953 of them were non-diabetic patients, and 47 were diabetic patients. RESULTS The average central corneal thickness in diabetic patients was 571.96 +/- 26.81 microns with a range between 514 and 626. The average central corneal thickness found in non-diabetic patients was 544.89 +/- 35.36 microns with range of 448 to 649. The increase in central corneal thickness found in diabetic patients compared to non-diabetic patients was statistically significant (p<0.001, Student "t" test). CONCLUSIONS We found that diabetic patients had an increased central corneal thickness when compared with non-diabetic patients.