Diabetic retinopathy and ocular co-morbidities among persons with diabetes at Sumail Hospital of Oman.

Abstract Purpose: We evaluated the magnitude of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and other ocular co-morbidities among patients with diabetes in 2006. We also assessed resources for eye care at Oman's Sumail Hospital. Methods: We reviewed the DR register in May 2008. Physicians diagnosed diabetes. Ophthalmologists used a biomicroscope to identify ocular co-morbidities. The best-corrected vision of each eye was noted. DR grading, as recommended by the World Health Organization, was adopted. The prevalence of DR was calculated. Grades of DR were correlated to vision. Projections of patients with diabetes mellitus and DR were compared to the study outcomes. Results: We randomly picked 418 (49%) of the 843 registered persons with diabetes for our study. The prevalence of DR was 7.9% (95% confidence interval 6.6, 9.2). Sight-threatening DR was found in 43 of 689 (5.3%) eyes. Prevalence of DR was 6.3% among persons with diabetes who were screened for the first time; it was 9.3% among those rescreened. Diabetic macular...