Diabetic Corneal Neuropathy as a Window Into Diabetic Foot Risk: A Large‐Scale Association Study
Authors' conclusion
Corneal nerve impairment is evident even in low-risk diabetic foot patients and is associated with foot risk severity.
Study context
- Population
- Patients in different diabetic foot risk categories and controls, assessed by diabetic foot examination, in vivo confocal microscopy, ocular surface assessment and tear mediators
- Participants
- 710 patients
- Exposure
- Diabetic foot risk categories vs controls
- Outcome
- Corneal nerve features by diabetic foot risk category
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- All diabetic foot risk categories had significantly impaired corneal nerve fibre length, density, fractal dimension and more swollen width vs controls
- all p < 0.001
- High-risk diabetic foot showed significantly more pronounced corneal nerve alterations than low and moderate-risk
- all p < 0.05
- More severe foot risk category significantly associated with reduced nerve fibre length, density, fractal dimension and increased width (ordinal regression)
- all p < 0.05
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Ocular surface and tear mediators vs controls
- Diabetic foot risk patients had significantly shorter tear break-up time, more severe ocular symptoms, elevated tear MMP-9 and reduced tear Substance P
- all p < 0.05
Identification of high-risk diabetic foot
- Predictive model (corneal nerve fibre length, width, serum creatinine) AUC
- 0.80
- CNFL < 5.7 mm/mm²: higher odds of high-risk diabetic foot
- 4.37-fold
Original publication
Diabetic Corneal Neuropathy as a Window Into Diabetic Foot Risk: A Large‐Scale Association Study. Diabetes Obes Metab. Published 18 June 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →