Objective:

To identify the morphological and morphometric characteristics of the corneal layers by confocal microscopy in diabetic patients.

Methods:

A descriptive and comparative study was carried out in 90 eyes, 60 of which belonged to diabetic patients (30 type 1 and 30 type 2) and 30 to supposedly healthy patients. The study was conducted at Ramón Pando Ferrer Cuban Institute of Ophthalmology, between January 2012 and January 2017.

Results:

Epithelial thickness, stroma and corneal endothelium was greater in the eyes of type 1 diabetics with a mean of 54.6, 506.7 and 26.7 microns, respectively. The epithelial basement membrane was observed in 20% of the eyes of patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, and in 10% of type 2 diabetics. The group of type 1 diabetics showed one and two nerve plexuses per confocal microscopy field for 33.3% each. In type 2 diabetics, one nerve plexus (40%) predominated, while in healthy patients, four nerve plexuses (66.7%) predominated. Both groups of diabetic patients presented tortuous vertical plexuses (40% and 53.3%, respectively) and oblique nerve plexuses in the group of supposedly healthy patients (80%).

Conclusions:

The study of the cornea by confocal microscopy in diabetic patients showed greater total and layered corneal thicknesses, visible basal membrane, decrease in the sub-basal nerve plexus with vertical arrangement, and tortuous fiber.

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