Awareness of diabetic retinopathy among diabetes mellitus patients visiting a hospital of North India

Abstract

Context: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major cause of visual disability leading to irreversible blindness. Awareness of diabetes and its ocular co-morbidities may help in preventing vision loss. Aim: To assess the awareness of diabetic retinopathy among diabetic mellitus patients visiting a hospital in North India. Setting and Design: Cross-sectional study conducted at an outpatient clinic of ophthalmology department of a hospital. Materials and Methods: An interviewer-administered, pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire was used to evaluate the awareness of DR for the period from July 2020 to January 2021. Results: A total of 272 patients with diabetes mellitus (44.4% females and 55.5% males) were included in the study. The mean age of the study population was 53.4 ± 10 years. Of the 272 patients, 79% were aware that diabetes can affect the eyes, and 69.5% knew that DR can lead to blindness. Regarding prevention and treatment of DR, 58.1% of patients were aware that good glycemic control prevents DR and 52.6% knew that DR can be treated. Physicians were the main source of information in 47.4% of patients. The participants were not compliant with a routine retinal assessment with only 26.5% of them having previous fundus examination for DR screening. Conclusion: Most of the participants were aware of DR but there existed major deficits in the knowledge and behavior of diabetic patients toward management of DR. There is a need to create awareness about DR and emphasize the importance of retinal screening to reduce visual disability caused by diabetes.

The Evaluation of Diabetic Patients' Awareness of Diabetic Retinopathy and Its Complications in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia

“…This finding was similarly reported by Alzahrani et al [ 17 ]. However, a higher level (70.9% and 93.3%) of self-awareness in diabetic retinopathy screening was reported in two studies conducted in India [ 15 , 18 ]. This emphasizes the role of physicians and other healthcare providers in our community to consider regular referrals to an ophthalmologist for diabetic screening and providing education about the importance of regular eye examinations.…”

Assessment of Awareness of Diabetic Retinopathy among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus- Cross-sectional Study from Central India

“…Healthcare professionals should communicate effectively with patients to clarify misunderstandings and dispel myths about diabetes and its complications. Implementing regular eye screening programs and encouraging comprehensive eye examinations by ophthalmologists can help in early detection and timely management of diabetic retinopathy, thus potentially reducing the burden of diabetes-related blindness [16,17].…”