Diabetic retinopathy screening among Hispanics in Lea County, New Mexico

A project of diabetic retinopathy screening among Hispanics was implemented to increase awareness among the participants about diabetic retinopathy, screen for retinopathy, and make recommendations for further follow-up to enable them to save years of vision. Hispanics with diabetes are at a higher risk than non-Hispanics to develop retinopathy. A convenience group of 19 adults participated in the project. A pretest to determine participants' knowledge about diabetic retinopathy was administered. Subsequently, the participants were screened for diabetic retinopathy. On that occasion, a nurse instructed the individual participants about different aspects of diabetic retinopathy and provided them with brochures. After three weeks, posttests were administered to evaluate their awareness level and compliance with recommendations. Data were analyzed using a dependent groups' t-test. A significant increase (6.6 percent) in the awareness levels of the participants was found. It is recommended that voluntary collaborative efforts among various individuals and institutions should occur to organize similar community projects that may otherwise become prohibitive due to costs.