Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by hyperglycemia and its association with dry eye and cornea is becoming more common among the world population. Prevalence concerning both Diabetes and Dry Eye Disease (DED) are predicted to grow rapidly and Diabetes Mellitus in particular, not only in the developing world but also in low-income countries spreading down the population in age. This expresses itself as a clinical problem in Medicine and Ophthalmology and may grow in significance as more treatment is needed in the future.

Aim: To investigate whether there is correlation or not by reviewing recent literature between dry eye disease and diabetes mellitus and how this may affect us and be treated in a clinical way with future prevalence in both DM and DED in mind.

Result and conclusion: Clinical studies tell us that the clinical manifestations of DM like ocular surface problems are connected to DED in a strong way. DM seems to accelerate DED-related ocular problems, not only uncontrolled but also with controlled glycemia-levels giving DM another dimension of problems to dissolve. Age is known a main factor of DED and DM, together with duration of the disease, it seems to affect manifestations of the cornea in an accelerated way. DM has a negative effect concerning tear secretion-deficiency and peripheral neuropathy leading to corneal epitheliopathy with hyperosmolarity, recurrent erosions, persistent epithelial defects, microbial keratitis and wound healing-delays. This may give DM a correlation to DED in almost every aspect that DED is classified and diagnosed by.