Müller Andreas, Lamoureux Ecosse, Bullen Chris, Keeffe Jill Elizabeth
Centre for Eye Research Australia, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Melbourne, Royal Eye and Ear Hospital, Victoria.
Optom Vis Sci. 2006 Feb;83(2):96-101. doi: 10.1097/01.opx.0000200678.77515.2e.
Although diabetes increases the risk of becoming visually impaired or blind, a large proportion of people with diabetes are not receiving the recommended eye care to detect and prevent retinopathy. Assessing a broad range of demographic, health behavior, and societal characteristics in relation to eye care utilization, the present study aims to increase knowledge about the potential impact of such factors on eye care utilization.
In 2003, for the first time, the annual Victorian Population Health Survey (VPHS) incorporated various eye health-related questions. Approximately 12,600 primary approach letters were mailed to all eligible and randomly selected households. Using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI), the interviewer selected the person aged 18 years or over with the most recent birthday within the contacted household.
The mean age of all 7500 participants was 47.7 years (range, 18-99 years). Six percent (n = 424) of all participants had diabetes, of whom 80% (n = 345) reported a visit to an eye care specialist within the last 2 years. People with diabetes were more likely to have had an eye test within the last 2 years if they had seen a healthcare provider or had one of various health checks, including checks not related to diabetes, within the same time.
Results suggest that people who take an interest in their general health may also be more aware of the importance of eye examinations to avoid vision loss. Eye health promotion activities therefore need to broaden their reach to approach from outside the health sector, targeting people with diabetes who normally do not receive health checks. The importance of dilated eye examinations for people with diabetes needs to be further promoted for eye care providers.
尽管糖尿病会增加视力受损或失明的风险，但很大一部分糖尿病患者未接受推荐的眼部护理以检测和预防视网膜病变。本研究评估了与眼部护理利用相关的广泛人口统计学、健康行为和社会特征，旨在增加对这些因素对眼部护理利用潜在影响的认识。
2003年，维多利亚州年度人口健康调查（VPHS）首次纳入了各种与眼部健康相关的问题。大约12,600封初步信函被邮寄给所有符合条件且随机选择的家庭。使用计算机辅助电话访谈（CATI），访谈员在受访家庭中选择最近过生日的18岁及以上的人。
所有7500名参与者的平均年龄为47.7岁（范围为18 - 99岁）。所有参与者中有6%（n = 424）患有糖尿病，其中80%（n = 345）报告在过去2年内看过眼科护理专家。患有糖尿病的人如果在同一时间看过医疗服务提供者或进行过包括与糖尿病无关的检查在内的各种健康检查，那么他们在过去2年内进行眼部检查的可能性更大。
结果表明，关注自身总体健康的人可能也更意识到眼部检查对避免视力丧失的重要性。因此，眼部健康促进活动需要扩大范围，从卫生部门以外的角度入手，针对通常不接受健康检查的糖尿病患者。对于眼科护理提供者而言，需要进一步宣传散瞳眼部检查对糖尿病患者的重要性。
