Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

Abstract EN

Objective: To determine the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods: This study was conducted at Royal Medical Services hospitals between March 2001 and March 2004.

A total of 583 patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus were referred to ophthalmology clinics by their treating physicians for ophthalmologic assessment.

Results: The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was 22.6%.

The commonest presenting diabetic retinopathy was mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (31.5%), and the least common was severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (17.3%).

Conclusion: Diabetic retinopathy is a common finding in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Being a preventable and treatable complication if diagnosed and treated at earlier stages, a national strategy should be implemented to achieve this goal.