• Saleh Memon, Shahid Ahsan, Qamar Riaz, Abdul Basit, Sikandar Ali Sheikh, Asher Fawwad, and A Samad Shera.
• Saleh Memon, FRCS, Director Projects, Community Based Projects, Al Ibrahim Eye Hospital, ISRA postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology, Gadap Town, Malir Karachi-75040, Pakistan.
• Pak J Med Sci. 2014 Mar 1; 30 (2): 366-72.

ObjectiveTo determine the frequency, severity and risk indicators of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with diabetes attending a primary care diabetes centre.MethodsThis observational study was conducted at Diabetic Association of Pakistan - a World Health Organization collaborating center in Karachi, from March 2009 to December 2011. Registered patients with diabetes were screened by two field fundus photographs. Retina specialists graded the signs of retinopathy according to diabetic retinopathy disease severity scale.ResultsOf total registered diabetic patients (n=11,158), 10,768 (96.5 %) were screened for DR. Overall DR was found in 2661 (24.7%) patients. DR was found in decreasing order of frequency in patients with type 2 (n= 2555, 23.7%) followed by patients with type 1 diabetes (n=101, 0.93% ) and patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) (n=5, 0.46%). Among patients with DR, signs of non-sight threatening retinopathy was dominant. Females and patients of working age group predominantly had retinopathy. Type 1 patients >16 years and type 2 patients < 5 years of history of diabetes had sign of retinopathy in increased frequency.ConclusionEvery forth patient with diabetes in this large cohort had signs of diabetic retinopathy. Females and patients in working age group predominantly had retinopathy. Type 2 patients with short while type 1 patients with long history of diabetes most frequently had DR. Dissemination of the present study findings may help in increasing the awareness of this serious complication of diabetes.

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