AIM: To analyze the difference of macular retinal thickness between diabetic patients without apparent visual loss and normal subjects.

METHODS: Totally 40 cases(79 eyes)with type 2 diabetes without significant decrease of visual acuity(best corrected visual acuity, BCVA ≥0.8)in our hospital from April, 2018 to June, 2019 were enrolled as observation group and 64 cases(119 eyes)normal persons were enrolled as control group. The average retinal thickness in nine areas of macula, central retinal thickness(CRT), average retinal thickness(ART)and total volume(TV)of all patients were determined by optical coherence tomography(OCT), and the difference of average retinal thickness in nine areas of macula, CRT, ART and TV among them were compared.

RESULTS: The CRT, ART and TV(193.99±14.58μm, 291.07±12.24μm, 8.22±0.35mm³)in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group(187.38±12.24μm, 280.54±8.71μm, 7.92±0.25mm³), and the average retinal thickness in nine areas of macula in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group(P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: Compared with normal persons, macular retinal thickness and TV are significantly thickened in early stage of type 2 diabetes.