Doctor's role in early detection of diabetic retinopathy and prevention of blindness from its complications

Abstract

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a microangiopathy, which is caused by chronic hyperglycemia, affecting the retinal arterioles, capillaries and venules, complications of which lead to incurable blindness. Approximately 10% of the diabetic population has type I diabetes mellitus (DM) which is diagnosed before the age of 30 years and rest is type II which is diagnosed after the age of 30 years. In UK 2% general population is affected by DM. In developed countries, diabetic retinopathy is an important and leading cause of blindness in working age group where as in developing western countries this figure occupy 12% of the blindness. In developing countries like Nepal, cataract still remains a main cause of blindness and diabetes is not considered as a major problem. However due to a rapid urbanization and modernization of population, diabetes mellitus is becoming an endemic disease and bringing a new challenge in blindness reduction program.