Association of HbA1c levels with diabetic retinopathy

Abstract

Purpose: To study the association of HbA1C levels with diabetic retinopathy. Materials and Methods: A total of 330 diagnosed diabetic subjects of all age groups and genders participated in the study. They were grouped according to presence or absence of diabetic retinopathy. All patients HbA1C levels along with fasting blood glucose levels was obtained. Observations were made to find the association between HbA1C levels and diabetic retinopathy. Results: Mean HbA1c level among diabetic retinopathy subjects (9.50) was higher than subjects without retinopathy (8.49). The difference was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). With high HbA1c levels high mean fasting blood glucose levels were associated (R value: 0.5856). This is a moderate positive correlation. Conclusion: As glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels increases prevalence of diabetic retinopathy also increases and there is a strong relationship between HbA1c levels and diabetic retinopathy.