Background: Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a major cause of visual impairment in patients with diabetes mellitus. Systemic vascular diseases, such as ischemic heart disease (IHD), may influence the severity of DME. This study aimed to evaluate the association between IHD and DME in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus by assessing visual acuity, central macular thickness (CMT), and macular cystoid changes using optical coherence tomography (OCT).
Methods: This study included 128 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, divided into two groups: Group 1 (64 patients) with IHD and Group 2 (64 patients) without IHD. Visual acuity, cystoid macular edema, and CMT were evaluated and compared between the groups using OCT.
Result: A total of 77.4% of eyes with visual acuity of 6/60 or worse were in Group 1, showing a significant association. Bilateral cystoid macular edema was present in 80.8% of patients in Group 1, also statistically significant. The mean CMT was higher in Group 1 (330.96 ± 133.79 µm) compared to Group 2 (284.03 ± 93.26 µm), with a significant difference (p = 0.001).
Conclusions: Ischemic heart disease is significantly associated with greater severity of diabetic macular edema, as evidenced by poorer visual acuity and more pronounced OCT findings. These results highlight the potential impact of systemic vascular conditions on ocular complications in diabetic patients.