Clinical characteristics and knowledge of diabetic retinopathy patients at a tertiary hospital in Aceh, Indonesia

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a significant microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus, leading to vision impairment and blindness in working-age adults globally.Aim: To evaluate the knowledge, clinical characteristics and associated factors among diabetic retinopathy patients attending an ophthalmology clinic at a tertiary hospital in Aceh from May 2020 to May 2021.Setting: The study was conducted at Zainoel Abidin General Hospital, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study using consecutive sampling was conducted. Data collection involved patient history, eye examinations, laboratory tests and administering a questionnaire to assess knowledge of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression.Results: Out of 173 participants, 170 were included in the study. A significant proportion had visual acuity less than 6/60 (44.1%) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) (52.6%) with macular oedema in 11.8%. Only seven (4.1%) patients had good knowledge of diabetes and 28 (16.5%) had good knowledge of DR. A total of 113 (66.5%) patients were aware that diabetes could affect the eye and positively associated with the sex (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 6.18, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.80–21.21, P = 0.004), educational level (AOR: 4.66, 95% CI: 1.31–16.51, P = 0.017) and type of DM (AOR: 5.30, 95% CI: 1.97–14.26, P = 0.001).Conclusion: The study revealed a high incidence of vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR), including severe non-proliferative, proliferative and significant macular oedema cases. However, patients’ knowledge of their disease was very low.Contribution: This study crucial data to the Department of Health Authority for policy decision-making.