Outreach camps for awareness, screening of diabetic retinopathy among the rural population – Highlighting the need of hour

Objective To examine the effectiveness of Outreach Camps Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) screening and spreading awareness within rural communities. Material and Methods This was an analytical study and cross sectional study in rural area of Punjab. Diabetic patients (age 18 and above) attending eye camps who gave consent were enlisted in the study. Participants were screened, educated, and surveyed. A questionnaire-based study (April 2021–March 2022) was aimed to capture the observations of the prevailing knowledge and awareness regarding diabetes among patients. Patients with DR changes were referred and managed at a tertiary hospital. The data were analyzed to establish the effectiveness of utilization of the camps for DR screening and associated factors. Results Of the 340 participants (680 eyes) examined, 315 eyes were included in the study. Eighty-eight patients (27.94%) had findings of DR. A significant correlation was found between the presence of DR and the duration of diabetes, age, education, and economic status. The study also highlights that compliance with hypoglycemic drugs was high (82.6%), but regular monitoring was comparatively poor (57.4%). Vision-related complaints were the most common among diabetic patients (82.2%), yet only 28.8% underwent annual eye check-ups. Awareness of DR was low (17.7%); knowledge was primarily shared by doctors, who served as the main source of information. Conclusion This study highlights the crucial role of outreach camps in screening and awareness of diabetic retinopathy. People belonging to low socio-economic status and low literacy rate are often neglected. Door step healthcare services and timely intervention can prevent vision threatening diabetic retinopathy in this rural population of developing countries like India.