Cetin Ebru N, Zencir Mehmet, Fenkçi Semin, Akın Fulya, Yıldırım Cem
Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
Prim Care Diabetes. 2013 Dec;7(4):297-302. doi: 10.1016/j.pcd.2013.04.002. Epub 2013 Apr 29.
Raising awareness of diabetic retinopathy (DR) was shown to be a key element for early diagnosis and treatment of this blinding disease. There is very limited data about the knowledge level, attitude, and behavior of diabetic patients regarding DR in Turkey. This study was planned to assess the awareness of DR and the utilization of eye care services among Turkish diabetic patients.
Diabetic patients who were under the care of ophthalmologists, endocrinologists, and/or primary care physicians were administered a questionnaire in order to assess their awareness of diabetes and its ocular complications.
A total of 437 patients (51.8% female and 48.2% male) with a mean age of 55.2 ± 11.9 were included in the study. Of the 437 patients, 31.8% had not been educated about diabetes, 88.1% were aware that diabetes can affect the eyes, and 39.8% thought that diabetics with good glycaemic control might suffer from DR. While 86.7% thought that early diagnosis was possible in DR, 77.3% previously had eye examinations, and 41.9% stated that annual eye examinations were necessary for diabetics. An educational level of middle school or higher, duration of DM longer than 5 years, previous DM education, and recruitment from the university (ophthalmology department and endocrinology department) were associated with better awareness of DR. The independent factors associated with visiting an ophthalmologist on a regular basis were DM education, DM duration, and site of recruitment.
Although most of the patients know that DM affects the eye, there is a lack of appropriate knowledge and behavior about the management of DR. The importance of better control of DM and regular eye examination in the prevention of DR should be emphasized.
提高对糖尿病视网膜病变（DR）的认识被证明是这种致盲疾病早期诊断和治疗的关键因素。在土耳其，关于糖尿病患者对DR的知识水平、态度和行为的数据非常有限。本研究旨在评估土耳其糖尿病患者对DR的认识以及眼保健服务的利用情况。
对在眼科医生、内分泌科医生和/或初级保健医生照料下的糖尿病患者进行问卷调查，以评估他们对糖尿病及其眼部并发症的认识。
共有437名患者（女性占51.8%，男性占48.2%）纳入研究，平均年龄为55.2±11.9岁。在这437名患者中，31.8%未接受过糖尿病教育，88.1%知道糖尿病会影响眼睛，39.8%认为血糖控制良好的糖尿病患者可能会患DR。虽然86.7%认为DR可以早期诊断，但77.3%以前进行过眼部检查，41.9%表示糖尿病患者每年进行眼部检查是必要的。中学及以上教育水平、糖尿病病程超过5年、以前接受过糖尿病教育以及从大学（眼科和内分泌科）招募的患者对DR的认识更好。与定期拜访眼科医生相关的独立因素是糖尿病教育、糖尿病病程和招募地点。
虽然大多数患者知道糖尿病会影响眼睛，但在DR管理方面缺乏适当的知识和行为。应强调更好地控制糖尿病和定期眼部检查在预防DR中的重要性。
