Assessing Visual Acuity, Impact Of Ocular And Systemic Factors Of Diabetic Retinopathy In Indian Population

Purpose: This study aims to comprehensively analyze factors related to Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), including visual acuity, DR prevalence, ocular comorbidities, and systemic diseases. It focuses on categorizing visual acuity to assess DR severity using data from the Indian Ophthalmology Clinical Trial Network's (IOCTN) Retina Registry. Method: The study includes a diverse patient population from urban and rural India, enrolled in the Retinal Disease Registry of IOCTN. DR grading follows the ETDRS system and involves various ocular assessments, including visual acuity, refractive assessments, intraocular pressure measurements, and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) scans. SPSS software is used for statistical analysis, with qualitative data presented as numbers and percentages, and quantitative data as mean values with standard deviations. Results: A study of 5421 individuals found 68.23% had diabetes, with 77.85% of them having diabetic retinopathy (DR). DR patients, averaging 57 years with a 13-year diabetic duration, showed complications like Diabetic Macular Edema (33.78%) and vitreous hemorrhage (22.25%). Advanced DR stages had poorer vision, especially in Proliferative DR. Diabetic Macular Edema worsened visual outcomes, emphasizing the need to manage advanced DR closely to prevent vision impairment. Conclusion: The study analyzed Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) prevalence, visual outcomes, and comorbidities impact. Vision outcomes in DR (PDR) correlated with severity. Increasing DR uniformly decrease visual acuity. Ocular and systemic comorbidities played a role in vision impact. The findings stress the importance of holistic healthcare for DR patients, addressing both ocular and systemic factors to improve their quality of life.