European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Aim: Awareness of diabetic retinopathy among Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in Bihar region.
Methods: This was a descriptive, cross sectional, non-randomized, questionnaire based study conducted in the Department of Ophthalmology, M.G.M. Medical college & Hospital, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India for 1 year, after taking the approval of the protocol review committee and institutional ethics committee. Participants were asked to answer questions from a structured questionnaire developed in English and Hindi, which included questions about awareness of DR due to DM and compliance with DM and DR management. All interviewed patients were with Type 2 DM and were randomly selected using multistage random cluster sampling from the general population in and around Bihar. 100 study subjects having Type 2 diabetes mellitus were selected. 100 Patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus who had normal cognitive ability and could speak hindi and resided in and around Bihar was selected.
Result: Of 100 randomly selected Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, 55(55%) were women and 45 (45%) were males. 32% of them were illiterates, 29% had only primary education and 39% had education above middle school. 80% of these people had awareness about diabetes mellitus causing a condition called diabetic retinopathy. But only 34% knew that Diabetic Retinopathy can cause blindness. 88% of them are aware that Diabetic retinopathy can be prevented. Only 13% are aware that laser treatment for DR does not improve vision but reduces further deterioration in vision. 80% feel regular eye check-ups are required in DM patients and nearly 80% patients are fairly frequent with their eye check-up. 82% of people are aware that maintenance of blood sugar levels can reduce the risk of diabetic retinopathy and 71% check their blood sugar levels regularly while 29% are irregular with blood glucose checking. 95% of the patients have a source of information about diabetes mellitus and diabetic retinopathy with only 5% answered they do not received any information. Only 35% of people are aware that a diabetic patient should first see an eye doctor at the time of diagnosis.
 Conclusion: Nearly 3/4^th of this urban population are aware about diabetic retinopathy and feel blood glucose control and regular eye check-ups are necessary in reducing the risk of diabetic retinopathy, less than 1/4^th know about blindness caused by DR, that laser treatment does not improve the vision but only reduces further deterioration and when a Diabetic patient should first visit the eye doctor-therein suggestive that most are aware of the disease but are not well informed about the complications and treatment of the disease.