Relationship Between Role Of Health Care Social Workers Of Awareness Of Eye Complications And Prevalence Of Retinopathy In The First Visit To Eye Clinic Among Type 2 Diabetic Patients In Makah At Saudi Arabia 2023

Abstract

1. Background

Retinopathy is the most common eye disease in diabetes and is caused by changes in the blood vessels of the retina. It is increasingly becoming a major cause of blindness throughout the world in the age group of 20-60 years. In Saudi Arabia diabetic eye disease is the commonest cause of visual loss in the adult working age group . The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in Malaysia has been reported to progressively rise from 44.1%, in a 1981 study to 48.6% , in a 1996 study to 51.6% in a 2005 study . The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in this country is also much higher than the figures reported from Saudi Arabia (22.7%), as Australia (32.0%) and Japan (39.6%). Due to the social disease burden and subsequently the economic implication as a result of the diabetic eye disease, a high level of awareness is needed to educate diabetic patients with regards to this debilitating complication. If not managed, it can lead to multi-organ damage also diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that is characterized by distortion in the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins and involves hyperglycemia. This study aimed: To assess the relationship between role of health care social workers of awareness of eye complications and prevalence of retinopathy in the first visit to eye clinic among type 2 diabetic patients in Makah at Saudi Arabia 2023. Methods: cross-sectional study was conducted among the diabetic population from May to Se[1]ptember 2023 in Makah, Saudi Arabia. The patients were selected randomly from the general population visiting the Makah diabetic center and primary healthcare clinics in Makah. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to assess the knowledge of diabetes and its complication diabetic retinopathy. Our total participants were(300) Results: showed that the only (38.0%) of the participated were(35-45) years the gender the majority of the participated male were (51.0%) level of education the majority of the participated the level of education were higher education (39.0%) Conclusion: The level of knowledge regarding diabetic retinopathy among participants with diabetes type 2 in Makah is relatively high. However, participants’ motivation to attend an ophthalmology clinic for an eye assessment was poor in the study, thus delay early diagnosis and management.