Subtle retinal changes identified in early stages of type 2 diabetes

Texture analysis can identify retinal changes during early stages of type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in Eye Vision.

Sara Oliveira, from the University of Coimbra in Portugal, and colleagues examined the potential of retinal texture changes in a type 2 diabetes model. At baseline and four, eight, and 12 weeks after initiating the diabetes induction protocol, optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans and electroretinograms were acquired. Automated OCT segmentation, computation of retinal thickness, and analysis of texture were conducted.

The researchers found that in the inner plexiform layer and inner/outer photoreceptor segments, retinal texture was affected. Significant increases/decreases were seen in autocorrelation, cluster prominence, correlation, homogeneity, information measure of correlation II, inverse difference moment normalized, inverse difference normalized, and sum average texture metrics at weeks 8 and 12.

Seven of these metrics were altered in a previous study involving an animal model of type 1 diabetes. Subtle thinning and impaired function were seen in the retinas of patients with type 2 diabetes, along with a slight reduction in immunoreactivity of tight function proteins, without affecting the blood-retinal barrier.

“By capturing subtle structural signals within OCT images, this approach opens a new diagnostic window into the earliest disease processes,” co-senior author António Francisco Ambrósio, Ph.D., also from the University of Coimbra, said in a statement. “It offers a way to identify high-risk patients before permanent vision damage occurs, supporting earlier treatment and better outcomes.”

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