[Role of the size and shape of the eye in the course of diabetic retinopathy].

Sixty-nine patients with diabetes mellitus were examined to elucidate the role of the size and shape of eyes in the course of diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic changes in the eyes were two times less incident in the patients whose mean size of the eyes was more than 24 mm than in those with eyes of less than 24 mm in diameter. Proliferative retinopathy was never detected in the eyes with a mean size of at least 25 mm. A larger eye is an independent factor which has a positive impact on the course of diabetic retinopathy.