Partial reversal of protan and tritan colour defects with inhaled oxygen in insulin dependent diabetic subjects
a Department of Ophthalmology,
Whittington Hospital, London N19 3UA , b Moorfields Eye Hospital, Institute of Ophthalmology,
London EC1 V2PD , c Department of Medicine, University College London
Medical School, Whittington Hospital, London N19 3UA
Correspondence to: Fiona M Dean Eye Department, St Thomas's Hospital, London SE1.
Accepted for publication 14 October 1996
AIMS
Abnormalities in colour perception occur
early in the development of diabetic retinopathy. Whether these changes
can be influenced by increasing circulating oxygen saturation was
studied in comparison with non-diabetic controls.
METHODSProtan and tritan colour thresholds were
measured using a computer graphics system in 37 insulin dependent
diabetic subjects, with no or minimal background retinopathy, and 27 matched controls. Colour thresholds were performed after subjects
inhaled either gaseous air or 100% oxygen for a minimum of 5 minutes.
RESULTSDiabetic subjects had higher colour
vision thresholds when inhaling air when compared with controls (protan
(mean 3.93 (SEM 0.39), v 2.36 (0.16), p<0.0002) and tritan
(8.15 (0.62) v 5.42 (0.31), p <0.002)). The colour vision
thresholds observed in diabetic subjects inhaling air fell when they
inhaled oxygen (protan (3.93 (0.39) v 3.57 (0.33), p
<0.025) and tritan (8.15 (0.62) v 7.35 (0.59), p<0.005)).
No fall in colour thresholds was seen in non-diabetic controls who
inhaled oxygen.
CONCLUSIONA small improvement in the colour
vision thresholds was observed using computer graphics in diabetic
subjects, with minimal or no retinopathy, who inhaled oxygen. This
study supports a hypothesis that reduced retinal oxygenation
contributes to the colour vision defects in diabetes.
© 1997 by British Journal of Ophthalmology
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