Effects of prolonged type 2 diabetes on changes in peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in diabetic eyes without clinical diabetic retinopathy

To identify the effects of prolonged type 2 diabetes (T2DM) on changes in peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness in patients without clinical diabetic retinopathy. Subjects were divided into two groups: controls and patients with T2DM (DM group). After the initial visits, the pRNFL thicknesses were measured three more times at 1-year intervals. Subgroup analyses were performed in patients with T2DM duration ≥ 10 years. The mean pRNFL thickness at each visit was 95.8 ± 8.1, 95.4 ± 8.3, 94.9 ± 8.1, and 94.5 ± 8.3 μm in the control group ( P = 0.138) (n = 55); and 93.4 ± 9.1, 92.1 ± 9.3, 90.9 ± 9.3, and 89.5 ± 9.2 μm in the DM group ( P < 0.001) (n = 85). The estimated rate of reduction in mean pRNFL thickness was − 0.45 μm/year in the control group and − 1.34 μm/year in the DM group, respectively. In the DM group, the BCVA and HbA1c (both P = 0.001) were significant factors associated with pRNFL reduction. In patients with T2DM duration ≥ 10 years, the estimated pRNFL reduction rate was − 1.61 μm/year, and hypertension was a significant factor affecting the pRNFL reduction ( P = 0.046). We confirmed rapid pRNFL reduction over time in T2DM, and the reduction rate was higher in patients with T2DM ≥ 10 years. Additionally, BCVA and HbA1c levels were significantly associated with the change in pRNFL thickness in T2DM patients.