Sociodemographics associated with risk of diabetic retinopathy detected by teleophthalmology: 5-year results of the Toronto Tele-Retinal Screening Program

ABSTRACT Objective To describe screening outcomes and sociodemographic characteristics of patients in an urban tele-ophthalmology screening program for diabetic retinopathy (DR). Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted on adults with diabetes mellitus type 1 or 2 enrolled in the Toronto Tele-Retinal Screening Program between September 2013 and March 2019. Results A total of 1,374 screenings were completed, of which 344 (25%) detected DR. Of all particpants, 17% did not have provincial health coverage and 21% never had a previous eye exam. Out of 587 sociodemographic questionnaires collected, the majority (84%) were born outside of Canada, and only 62% preferred English as their spoken language. Forty percent reported a household income under $25,000, and these participants had increased odds of having detectable DR (OR 1.83, p Conclusions Participants with low income are more likely to screen positive for DR. Tele-ophthalmological screening can be effective in an urban, culturally-diverse, and socioeconomically-disadvantaged population.