AIM: To investigate the relationship between the glycosylated hemoglobin(HbA1c)and retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL)thickness in patients at early stage of type 2 diabetes.

METHODS: Totally 58 patients at early stage of type 2 diabetes(average disease course was 3.25±2.32a)and 18 healthy subjects were recruited for this study. Optical coherence tomography(OCT)was used to measure retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL)thickness of all subjects.

RESULTS: The difference of the superior, inferior and nasal RNFL thickness between two groups was significant(P<0.05), and the superior, inferior and nasal RNFL thickness was negatively related to the HbA1c and disease course(P<0.05). No significant difference of temporal RNFL thickness existed between two groups(P>0.05), and temporal RNFL thickness was not related to HbA1c and disease course(P>0.05).

CONCLUSION: RNFL thickness are thinner in diabetes patients than that in healthy subjects, and HbA1c and RNFL thickness are correlated in diabetes patients. Clinically, RNFL changes of patients can be evaluated according to HbA1c level, and the severity of DR can be predicted, thus guiding the clinical diagnosis and treatment.