Vol. 1, Issue 1, Part A (2019)

Purpose:This study is done to look for the association between tear film break up time, dry eye symptoms and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: This cross sectional observational hospital based study was conducted on 101 T2DM patients under treatment at R.L.J. Hospital and Research Centre, Kolar attached to Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College Results: One hundred and one patients were included in the study, of which 56 (55.4%) were males and 45 (44.6%) were females. Glycosylated haemoglobin of less than 7% was observed in 11(%) patients, 82 patients had values between 7.1% to 8.9% while rest 8 patients had values of more than 9 %. Of the 101 patients, 31 patients had tear break up time of 10 seconds or less. Statistical analysis revealed that glycated haemoglobin had a significant correlation with tear break up time (TBUT) Conclusion: This study signifies the importance of good glycaemic control as a modifiable risk factor for tear film instability in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus which can lead to dry eye.