BACKGROUNDMeta-analysis from 35 studies from 1980 to 2008 showed that global prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy was 34.6%. Major risk factors of diabetic retinopathy are poor glycaemic control, duration of diabetes and associated hypertension. Regular eye checkup is mandatory for early detection of Diabetic Retinopathy and prevention of blindness. This study is aimed at finding out the knowledge about Diabetic Retinopathy among diabetic patients in a rural area of Central Kerala.

Background: Glaucoma is one among the leading causes of irreversible blindness in India. Lack of awareness and lack of knowledge of this disease is the most important cause for the late presentation which leads to blindness. Aim: To find out the awareness and knowledge about glaucoma in a rural population of a literate state like Kerala. Study Design: A cross sectional study using a pre tested semi structured questionnaire and the participants were selected by cluster sampling method. Materials and Methods: The questionnaire contained details of demographic factors in the first part and questions to assess the knowledge of the participants who were aware of this disease in the second part. The responses were entered in MS EXCEL Sheet and data analysis done using the software SPSS version 15.Chi-square test was done to find out the percentage and proportion. Results: Out of the 4414 participants 2052 were males and 2362 were females. 805 (18.23%) people were aware of glaucoma, Awareness was statistically significant in terms of age, age group 40-59 were more aware of the disease. Knowledge of glaucoma was significant statistically in terms of education (p value =0.003) but not in terms of gender (p value -0.847) Major source of information was through mass media. Only 34.4% knew that this is a disease with no symptoms. Conclusion: Awareness of glaucoma is less when compared to the literacy rate. But knowledge of glaucoma is good among those who are aware of the disease. Mass Media can be utilized to impart knowledge of this disease. Health education classes should be conducted and people should be motivated to undergo screening procedures so that early detection is possible.