Higher Blood Sugar Increases Anterior Uveitis Risk, Research Says

In their paper, the researchers described a potential mechanism for the association: chronic hyperglycemia weakens the blood-aqueous barrier, leading to increased intraocular cytokine production and vascular permeability. Photo: Alan G. Kabat, OD. Click image to enlarge. Researchers found that worsening diabetic glycemic control raised the risk of anterior uveitis regardless of diabetes type or management. The paper, published in Eye, analyzed 13 years of data from the TriNetX database in a retrospective multicenter cohort study that included 12,192,033 adults 18 years of age and older. Investigators defined three exposure groups based on diabetes status and glycemic control: one group for diabetes patients with poorly controlled HbA1c levels, one for well-controlled diabetes patients and a non-diabetic control group. A total of 12.7% of the patients fell into the poorly controlled diabetes group, 20.8% into the well-controlled diabetes group and 66.5% into the non-diabetic control group. The mean ages in each group were 61.9, 65.3 and 53.8, respectively. Women accounted for 46% of the poorly controlled group, 49.8% of the well-controlled group and 57.9% of controls. While the majority (59%) of patients were white, the study also included Black, Hispanic and “other race” patients. In addition, the researchers excluded individuals with pre-existing uveitis or systemic inflammatory diseases.Patients with well-controlled diabetes had an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 3.25 vs. non-diabetic controls. The aHR further increased to 4.07 with poor glycemic control. For each 1% rise in HbA1c, the odds of developing uveitis increased by 10%, the researchers noted in their paper.To address this issue, the authors encouraged more precise testing, although they mentioned that since poor glycemic control was found in fewer than one in five uveitis cases, “these findings do not support routine laboratory screening in all patients presenting with new-onset undifferentiated anterior uveitis.” Instead, they advocated for testing specifically of patients who have a history of diabetes or who do not generally receive significant medical care.Click here for the journal source. Oliver C, Gasquet N, Berkenstock M, et al. Diabetes and uveitis. A large cohort evaluation of the association between glycaemic control and incident undifferentiated anterior uveitis. (The DULCE Study). Eye. April 16, 2026. [Epub ahead of print]. This article was developed by the editorial staff in conjunction with experts in the field. In the process, AI may have been among the editorial tools used to meet the goals of human editors, who approved all content.