Prevalence and Correlation between HbA1c Control and Duration of Diabetes with Blindness in the Eastern Part of Libya: Double Centers Study

A prospective cross-sectional study of diabetic patients registered at the Eye department of Tobruk Medical Center in Tobruk-Libya between (01.06.2023 to 29.02.2024). At the same time data was collected in the eye department in Alwahda Derna Teaching Hospital, Data was collected using the same administered questionnaire. Grading of DR was done by slit-lamp examination and Fundoscopy by an ophthalmologist. Descriptive analysis included percentage mean, median, and p - value by using SPSS 25. There were 185 diabetic patients, ages ranging between 30 and 90 years, with a mean of 58, the majority (97.6%) were of Libyan nationality. There were 86 males and 99 females. Patients with a duration of diabetes ranging between 11 and 15 years were at almost a five-fold risk of developing DR compared to those with a duration of < 10 years. Most of advanced complicated diabetic retinopathy cases had diabetes for more than fifteen years, and no advanced disease in the cases with a duration of less than 10 years. The patients with poor controlled blood sugar and HbA1c > 9 throughout the disease were at almost five-folded risk of developing DR compared to those with moderate controlled diabetes cases were HbA1c between (7.5 - 9), patients with poor control of diabetes HbA1c> 9 was 25-folded risk of developing PRP than cases with good control HbA1c < 7.5. The majority of advanced diabetic retinopathy cases were correlated with non-controlled diabetes mellitus HbA1c > 9, where no advanced complication was recorded in well-controlled cases.