Muhammad Nauman Sher Zaman*

Optometrist at MOHAP, UAE

*Corresponding Author: Muhammad Nauman Sher Zaman, Optometrist at MOHAP, UAE.

Received: August 02, 2021; Published: August 21, 2021

Abstract

Objective: To assess awareness of diabetic retinopathy among people with diabetes.

Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Ophthalmology Department, Munawar Memorial Hospital, Chakwal, Pakistan, from January 2021 to June 2021, and comprised diabetic patients of either gender aged 21-80 years. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic, diabetes and diabetic retinopathy characteristics. Fundoscopic examination was done, and the presence and stage of diabetic retinopathy were documented. Data was analyzed using SPSS 20.

Results: Of the 128 subjects, 15 (10.6%) were male and 113 (89.4%) were females. The majority 64 (48.5%) was aged 61 - 80 years. Overall, 74 (56.1%) patients were aware that diabetes could affect their eyes, 57 (43.2%) were never diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy, 76 (57.6%) had gained information about diabetic retinopathy from ophthalmologists, 61 (46.2%) and 29 (22%) respondents reported that eyes should be examined 'only when vision is affected' and 'every 6 months' respectively, 98 (74.2%) said the biggest barrier in getting eyes examined earlier was 'lack of knowledge', 23 (17.4%) believed surgery was done for diabetic retinopathy treatment and 33 (25%) believed that surgery, laser and injections all can be used. Significant relationship of diabetic retinopathy was found with duration of diabetes and the general health status (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Though more than half the patients were aware that diabetes could affect the eyes, awareness of diabetic retinopathy and its consequences was low.

Keywords: Diabetic Retinopathy; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus

References

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Citation

Citation: Muhammad Nauman Sher Zaman. “Awareness of Diabetic Retinopathy among People with Diabetes". Acta Scientific Ophthalmology 4.9 (2021): 45-48.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2021 Muhammad Nauman Sher Zaman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.