A retrospective study of the prevalence and management of complications of proliferative diabetic retinopathy and its visual outcome in patients in a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

To provide the prevalence of complications of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) in patients visiting the retina clinic in Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital and to evaluate their visual acuity (VA) status. A retrospective study in which the chart review was done of the patients diagnosed with PDR, attending the retina clinic in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital. Patients with a diagnosis of type 1 or 2 diabetes with a clinical diagnosis of active PDR in any or both eyes, who had long term follow-up for up to at least 5 years were included. Evaluating the prevalence of the complications of PDR, presenting VA of people with PDR, short-term outcomes at 6 months and 5 years are the main outcomes of the study. The most common complication of PDR was diabetic macular edema (DME). Eyes receiving treatment early in the disease course (i.e. baseline VA 6/18 or better) had significantly better VA outcomes at 5 years versus eyes treated at a later stage (i.e. baseline VA <6/18 - ≥3/60). The treatment of patients with VA <3/60 can also lead to significant improvement in visual outcome. Our results suggest that early diagnosis and treatment of patients with PDR is of utmost importance in preventing severe vision loss due to advanced diabetic eye disease. People with diabetes in India need to be made aware of annual screening and treatment of their eyes to avoid vision impairment and blindness.