Omer Othman Abdullah
Objective: To find out the incidence of blindness among the diabetic population in the lack of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and to assess patient's knowledge about their illness.
Introduction: The diabetic blindness can be prevented by up to 90%, in the early stages of the disease. At the time of diagnosing type two, 21% of them have retinopathy. After 20 years of diabetes; the retinopathy affects 60% of type 2 and approximately all of type 1 diabetic population.
Subject and method: This retrospective study comprised of 1784 diabetic patients. Their vision assessed according to the international classification of controlling blindness as legally blind (visual acuity=< 20/200) or socially blind. For this purpose, the Snellen Eye Chart used at a fixed distance of 20 feet. Patients were checked regularly when checkup missed; excluded from the study.
Result: About 46% of the diabetic population did not know when their diabetes started with a p-value 0.000, which is a very highly significant correlation. Regarding patients information how to control their diabetes; 82% of them did not know how to handle the illness, and 76% did not know the dietary restrictions with a very highly significant p-value, the correlation between them and legal blindness.
About 84.1% presented with legal blindness. After many interventions, 37.9% remained legal blindness, but 62.1 improved. While 6% became socially blinded.
Around 43.9% were unable to buy the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs, with a p-value=0.000.
About 87.2% of patients did not perform HbA1C two times per year with very highly significant with the legally blind.
Conclusion: We can emphasize that the lack of education program, patient's information about the disease, non-referrals, economic crisis and the unavailability of the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor; all collectively created a blinded diabetic population.
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