The Evaluation of Diabetic Patients' Awareness of Diabetic Retinopathy and Its Complications in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia.

Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia. Globally, 382 million people have diabetes mellitus, and 90% of these patients suffer from type 2 diabetes. Saudi Arabia has the second-highest prevalence of diabetes among all Middle Eastern countries. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a significant complication of diabetes; early detection and proper intervention are important for its management and prognosis. Aim This study aims to assess the awareness of diabetic patients of diabetic retinopathy symptoms and complications in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Methods This is a cross-sectional study in which a convenience sampling technique was implemented for collecting data from all patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria within the timeframe between February 2022 and October 2022 among diabetic patients at the National Guard Health Affairs in the western region. We included both type 1 and type 2 diabetic participants who are older than 18 years of age and have at least one visit to any outpatient ophthalmology clinic. Results This study involved 259 participants. The mean age of the participants is 46.69 (standard deviation {SD}: 15.59). Type 2 was more prevalent among the applicants (58.3%). A total of 242 (93%) participants were aware that diabetes could affect their eyes. Surprisingly, 130 (50.2%) do not know about diabetic retinopathy therapy options. The most significant obstacle to being examined early for ophthalmological diseases among diabetic patients was the deficient knowledge of diabetic retinopathy. Also, a significant statistical relationship was found between the year of diagnosis and the level of awareness regarding eye complications. Conclusion Despite the high level of awareness of diabetic retinopathy among diabetic patients shown in our study, it did not correspond to a high level of self-awareness on the importance of preventive measures such as annual diabetic retinopathy screening.