A cross sectional study of magnitude of diabetic retinopathy in outpatients presenting with cataract in a secondary care hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Patients with cataract most often have retinal pathology which may affect the visual prognosis and outcome following cataract surgery. Diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration are both age dependent diseases of retina which manifest around the same age as cataract. Also, the occlusive diseases affect the patients in the senile cataract age group. Materials and Methods: This study was a Cross Sectional Study conducted in the Department of Ophthalmology, Govt Medical College Baramulla for a period of one and half years from January 2020 to June 2021. Around 900 patients with complaints of defective vision who attended the outpatient department and diagnosed to have cataract are screened. Among them 100 patients were found to have posterior segment pathologies. Patients with normal posterior segment, patients with glaucoma and patients with vitreoretinal diseases other than diabetic retinopathy were excluded from the study. Results: In our study 40% were found to have diabetic retinopathy of various stages. There is a significant association of NPDR with respect to CSME and there is highly significant association (p<0.01) of disease progression to advanced diabetic eye disease after the disease enters the PDR stage. Conclusion: There is a significant impact on vision secondary to vitreoretinal diseases which show increase in incidence with age. The more severe the diabetic retinopathy, the worse is the visual prognosis. In cataract patients, early detection and prompt treatment of retinal diseases like diabetic retinopathies and vaso-occlusive diseases can prevent their progression and there by improve the visual outcome following cataract surgery.