Ophthalmoscopy versus non-mydriatic fundus photography in the detection of diabetic retinopathy in black patients.

The contribution of non-mydriatic fundus photography in the detection of diabetic retinopathy before and after dilatation of the pupils in black diabetics was investigated and compared with direct ophthalmoscopy. Eighty-six patients were examined and good-quality photographs were obtained for 54.7% of eyes before and 86.6% of eyes after dilatation. Photographically documented retinopathy was detected by ophthalmoscopy in only 64.7% of eyes. The two methods were concordant for the presence of retinopathy in 62.2% of eyes before and 56.9% of eyes after dilatation. Photography through dilated pupils also improved the rate of detection of diabetic retinopathy from 24% to 30%. The 45 degrees non-mydriatic fundus camera was found to be a valuable adjunct in the detection of diabetic retinopathy in a busy diabetic clinic.