Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder which is characterized by elevated blood sugar levels. It is a non-communicable disease and currently, a major disease of concern in terms of public health.
Aim: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of diabetic retinopathy amongst the diabetic patients of Saudi Arabia.
Material and methods: Patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus visiting to Ministry of Health hospitals were incorporated in this study. Self administered questionnaires were used to assess knowledge, attitude and practice of diabetic retinopathy amongst the diabetic patients. The data collected was entered in a pre-designed proforma and analysed using SPSS version 20.0.
Results: This study incorporated 439 diabetic individuals out of which 251 (57.17%) were male patients and 188 (42.82%) were females. Majority of the diabetic patients (75.62%) were aware that diabetes can cause eye disorders, 73.80% of patients replied that diabetic individuals should go for regular eye check-ups and 65.10% of patients were aware that they should visit an ophthalmologist in the event of eye problem. Out of 439 diabetic 302 patients (68.79%) were aware that timely treatment can prevent or delay damage of eyes in diabetic patients and about 95% of all the participants went for regular ocular examinations.
Conclusion: Majority of the diabetes patients were aware that diabetes can cause eye disease and it is necessary for the diabetic individuals to consult the ophthalmologist for the prevention of the same.
Keywords: Approach; Awareness; Methods; Ocular disorders.