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. 2022 Apr;11(4):1292-1298.
doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_977_21. Epub 2022 Mar 18.

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

Akansha Singh  1 , Alka Tripathi  1 , Pradip Kharya  2 , Richa Agarwal  1
Affiliations

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

Akansha Singh et al. J Family Med Prim Care. 2022 Apr.

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.

Keywords: Awareness; diabetic retinopathy; screening.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Awareness related to diabetic retinopathy (based on the questionnaire)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Reasons for not undergoing eye examination for DR screening
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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