Diabetic Retinopathy: Knowledge, Staging and Barriers to Early Presentation in a Tertiary Eye Care Centre in Ghana

BackgroundDiabetic retinopathy is the most common microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus and a leading cause of new-onset blindness in populations of working age. Late presentation of patients to eye care facilities has been associated with the development of vision-threatening complications. The study sought to determine the clinical profile, knowledge and factors influencing late presentation of diabetic retinopathy among diabetics at the Eye Centre of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Ghana. MethodsThis descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between the periods of February 2022 to April 2022. All diabetic patients referred to the retina clinic were examined for diabetic retinopathy. Both eyes of participants were examined and the eye with the most severe form of diabetic retinopathy was used for the staging. A structured questionnaire was employed to collect patients socio-economic factors and knowledge on diabetic retinopathy. Data was analysed using the SPSS ver. 23 software. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. ResultsA total of 78 diabetic patients were included in the study. Thirty-six (36, 46.2%) were males and 42 (53.8%) females. Mean age of the study population was 49.9{+/-}11.4 years. The mean (+SD) knowledge score of study participants on diabetic retinopathy was 5.3 ({+/-}3.2) with a maximum possible score of 12. Majority of the participants (65%) were aware that uncontrolled diabetes mellitus affects the eyes; 7.7% had mild NPDR, 16.7%) had moderate NPDR, 10.3%; severe NPDR, 19.2%; very severe NPDR, 9.0%; high risk PDR and 37.2% showed signs of advanced PDR. Fifty-four participants (69.2%) highlighted a lack of knowledge about the condition as the main reason for late presentation. ConclusionMost diabetic patients who presented to the eye clinic had advanced PDR stage of the condition. The major factor to late presentation of diabetic retinopathy cases was lack of knowledge about the condition.