Awareness of Diabetic Eye Disease among Diabetics: The Enugu Diabetes Eye Care Study, Report 2

Objective: Globally, diabetic eye disease (DED) remains a public eye health issue. Identifying patient-level factors associated with DED awareness is critical for its prevention and management. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associations of awareness of DED in a Nigerian hospital-based diabetic population. Design: Questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey Setting: Diabetic clinic of the University of Nigerian Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu from February to March 2012 Subjects: Adult outpatient diabetics aged 18 years or older Intervention: Non-interventional Main outcome measure: Awareness of diabetic eye disease Results: The participants (n = 233; males = 105) were aged 59.3 +/- 13.5SD years (range: 24 - 99 years). The majority were married (94%), had formal education (79.4%), traders (29.2%) and resided in urban areas (67%). One hundred and eighty eight (80.4%) participants were aware that diabetes can affect the eyes and possibly cause blindness. Their main sources of awareness were clinic-based health talk (69.1%) and the doctor providing diabetic care (5.2%). Current visual problem (odds ratio (OR): 0.39; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.18 - 0.83, p = 0.019) and previous dilated fundus examination (DFE) (OR: 2.69; 95% CI: 1.31 - 5.53, p = 0.009) were the significant predictors of DED awareness. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of DED awareness among diabetics at UNTH, Enugu. Clinic-based health talk and physician-provided health education are the main sources of awareness. Current visual problem and previous DFE are the significant predictors of awareness of DED. Further enrichment and expansion of scope of nurse-and physician-provided hospital-based diabetes-related eye health education are warranted.