Awareness of eye complications and prevalence of retinopathy in the first visit to eye clinic among type 2 diabetic patients

AIM:To assess the awareness of eye complications and the prevalence of retinopathy,in the first visit to eye clinic,among type 2 diabetic patients attending a tertiary medical centre in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia.METHODS:An investigator-administered questionnaire was given to 137 patients with diabetes undergoing first time eye screening in the eye clinic.This was followed by a detailed fundus examination by a senior ophthalmologist to assess for presence of retinopathy.RESULTS:Almost 86% of respondents were aware of diabetic eye complications,especially in patients who had achieved tertiary educational level(96.3%).The majority of the patients(78.8%) were referred by their physicians and only 20.4% came on their own initiative.Many of the patients(43.8%) did not know how frequent they should go for an eye check-up and 72.3% did not know what treatments were available.Lack of understanding on diabetic eye diseases(68.6%) was the main barrier for most patients for not coming for eye screening earlier.Despite a high level of awareness,only 21.9% had recorded HbA1c level of <6.5% while 31.4% were under the erroneous assumption of having a good blood sugar control.A total of 29.2% had diabetic retinopathy in their first visit eye testing.CONCLUSION:In the present study,29.2% of type 2 diabetic patients had retinopathy in their first time eye testing.Although the awareness of diabetic eye complications was high among first time eye screening patients,the appropriate eye care-seeking behavior was comparatively less and should be rectified to prevent the rise of this sight threatening eye disease.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Diabetic Patients on Ocular Complications of Diabetes in Lomé(Togo)

Introduction: The frequency and severity of eye complications from diabetes make patient education essential, which is the basis for adequate management. What is the level of education of diabetic patients in Lomé? The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of diabetic patients on the ocular complications of diabetes in Lomé. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study by surveys on diabetic patients from April 1 to June 31, 2020, in 6 diabetes management centers in Lomé. The correct response rate was established for each component. Knowledge: poor (≤ 50%), low (50% - 65%), medium (65% - 85%) and good (≥ 85%). Attitudes: harmful (≤ 50%), erroneous (50% - 65%), approximate (65% - 85%) and fair (≥ 85%). Practice: harmful (≤ 50%), inadequate (50% - 65%) and adequate (>65%). Results: Over the study period, 150 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 56.98 ± 13.37 years with a sex ratio of 1.1 (79 men/71 women). The overall level of knowledge was insufficient (50.6%) with 65.5% for general knowledge about diabetes and 35.8% for ocular complications of diabetes. Attitudes were approximate (68.7%). In the case of hyperglycemia, 31.3% of patients would confide in a diabetologist and 22.0% in a general practitioner. If decrease in vision, 84.3% of patients would contact the ophthalmologist. The level of practice was harmful (20.4%). For diabetic follow-up, 36.7% of patients have already seen an ophthalmologist, 41.3% have performed a fundus examination, 17.3% retinal angiography, 4% laser retinal photocoagulation and 2.7% intravitreal injection (IVT). An awareness session on the ocular complications of diabetes was followed by 52.7% of patients and 50.7% of patients followed a therapeutic education session. Conclusion: This study has shown that the level of knowledge was poor, attitudes approximate and practices harmful. It is therefore important to raise awareness about diabetes and its ocular complications with the aim to change behavior.