Purpose: To compare ocular surface temperature (OST) measures in patients with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and healthy controls.
Methods: A total of 51 consecutive patients with different severity degrees of NPDR and 53 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers were recruited. OST was evaluated by infrared thermography in five conjunctival (points 1, 2, 4, 5) and corneal (point 3) points.
Results: In diabetic eyes, OST values were lower than in controls at all the studied points (p<0.001 at points 1, 2, 3, 4, and p=0.003 at point 5).
Conclusions: Ocular surface temperature measurements, by estimating ocular blood flow, may be helpful in the management of patients with diabetic retinopathy.