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Pattern of Diabetic Eye Diseases in a Tertiary Health Facility, South East Nigeria

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia; the latter predisposes persons living with diabetes to certain diseases of the eyes such as diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular oedema, cataract, glaucoma etc, each of which may progress to visual loss and blindness. The burden and pattern of diabetic eye diseases among persons living with diabetes in the commercial city of Aba, Nigeria is not known. This study, therefore, set out to determine this. This was a 6-year retrospective study in which all diabetic patients referred to or presenting at the Ophthalmology clinic of Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) Aba, Nigeria between January 2013 and December 2018 were included. The patients were examined by ophthalmologists and optometrists. Visual acuity, refraction, tonometry, slit-lamp examination of the anterior segment and fundus examination were carried out on each patient. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Participants in the study were 56 (44.4%) males and 70 (55.6%) females. Diabetic ocular complications occurred in 2.4% of the total Ophthalmology clinic visits in ABSUTH, Aba. The commonest diabetic eye disease was cataract which was present in 50% of the participants, No diabetic patient presented with blindness and the commonest co morbid disease in the participants was systemic hypertension. Ocular complications of DM constitute a significant burden to the Ophthalmology clinic visits in the commercial city of Aba and the commonest of these complications is cataract.