Diabetic polyneuropathy. Corneal sensitivity, vibratory perception and Achilles tendon reflex in diabetics.

In a controlled study, corneal sensitivity, vibratory perception of the left index finger and great toe and achilles tendon reflex were examined in 100 diabetes patients and 100 controls. The result showed significantly reduced corneal sensitivity, vibratory perception and increased number of areflexi in the diabetic group. Furthermore, the decrease of corneal sensitivity, vibratory perception and presence of areflexi correlated well to one another and to age, duration of D. M. above 15 years and diabetic retinopathy. Significant intercorrelations suggest that a reduced corneal touch threshold forms part of a polyneuropathy in diabetes. A corneal hypesthesia cannot be considered a valuable index in screening a population for diabetes as previously has been suggested.