Awareness of Diabetic Retinopathy in Diabetic Individuals Based on Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice in Cameroon: A Multicentre Study

Introduction: Diabetic retinopathy accounts for 5% of all causes of blindness. We set out to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice patterns in patients with diabetes regarding diabetic retinopathy (DR) and identify barriers that may exist in this context. Material and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study by consecutively enrolling patients with diabetes consulting at four hospitals in Cameroon between November 2021 and March 2023. We surveyed participants about their understanding of diabetic retinopathy (DR), their approach to it, and their visits to eye specialists by means of a single-investigator-interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data was anonymously analysed using STATA/BE 17 and presented in frequencies and Spearman’s correlation coefficient. The error margin was 5% and all results with p-value <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: We enrolled 152 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, with a mean age of 60.30 years and a male-to-female ratio of 0.9. Out of the 152 patients enrolled, 138 (90.59%) agreed that the eyes could be damaged by diabetes. Meanwhile, only 21 (15.79%) associated diabetes with DR. Of the 41.18% who were occasionally sent for an eye exam by their consulting physicians, 91.72% made it to the consultations. Spearman’s correlation showed no significant relationship between the knowledge of eye involvement in diabetes and visits to eye specialists, regardless of blood sugar levels (p = 0.30). Conclusion: We were able to show that there is a lack of sensitization of patients with diabetes on diabetic retinopathy and referral to ophthalmologists.