Jasmita Satapathy1 , Anita Minj2 , Keya Chakrabarti3 , Priya Gupta4
BACKGROUND Diabetic retinopathy can be asymptomatic until there is significant vision loss. Generating awareness about diabetic retinopathy (DR) among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2 DM) is of key importance. This can help in early diagnosis and management of DR, avoiding the sight threatening complications. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, awareness and prevalence of DR among patients of T2 DM on their first visit to ophthalmology outpatient department (OPD). METHODS This is a single centre, hospital-based, observational cross-sectional study. It was conducted from March 2019 to February 2020, among diagnosed cases of T2 DM attending the eye OPD for the first-time following diagnosis. A structured questionnaire was prepared that includes questions regarding the knowledge and awareness of DR. It was used to collect the data, following which a complete ophthalmic checkup was done. To evaluate for prevalence of retinopathy, a dilated fundoscopy was done in every case. The data thus collected was then analyzed. RESULTS A total of 306 participants was enrolled which included 170 males and 136 females. Majority (69.28%) were aware that diabetes can affect eye (retina) which can lead to blindness. In spite of that, in 58.50% cases, the reason for 1st eye screening was “diminution of vision”. About 74.51% patients said that there is no risk of DR if the blood sugar is well controlled. According to 50.98% respondents, retinal assessment is important only when vision is affected. Mass media (30.71%) was found to be the main source of information for the patients in this study. Duration of diabetes and the educational status were found to be significant (p < 0.05) for the awareness of diabetic retinopathy. However, we found the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy to be 17.65% among the patients undergoing eye screening for the 1st time following diagnosis of T2 DM. CONCLUSIONS In order to prevent vision threatening complications of DM, the level of awareness has to be increased. Complete ophthalmological evaluation including retinal examination is of utmost importance for early diagnosis and management.
