A STUDY OF VISUAL EVOKED POTENTIAL CHANGES IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE II DIABETES MELLITUS AND PRIMARY HYPERTENSION

BACKROUND Visual Evoked Potential (VEP) is the most sensitive test to find out the abnormalities of the visual pathway in various diseases like Diabetes Mellitus and Systemic Hypertension. Optic neuropathy was well documented in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (type 2 DM), but it was not so common patients with Primary Systemic Hypertension (SHT). AIM To evaluate the visual pathway involvement in patients with Type 2 DM and SHT by using Pattern Reversal Visual Evoked Potential Response. MATERIALS METHODS Study Group 30 cases of which 15 patients with SHT and 15 patients with Type 2 DM between the age of 30 to 40 years of both the sexes were taken. The study group was compared with 15 healthy volunteers of same age group. Methodology Functional changes in visual pathway of cases and controls were evaluated by Pattern Reversal Visual Evoked Potential Response. RESULTS In the present study it has been found that the latencies of the waves P100, N75 and N145 are increased in both Type II Diabetes Mellitus and stage I and II Primary Systemic Hypertension. The data was statistically analyzed by unpaired student-t-test. In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the wave latencies P100, N75, N145 (latency) of both right (0.0001, 0.0001 and 0.0009) and left eye (0.0002, 0.0001 and 0.0001) were statistically significant. But in the patients with primary systemic hypertension, the wave latencies P100, N75, N145 (latency) of both right (0.20,0.06 and 0.28) and left eye (0.31, 0.13 and 0.074) were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION In the present study it was found that the Type 2 DM was strongly associated with impairment of visual pathway.