[Delay in ophthalmologic examination of diabetic retinopathy patients]

To assess the delay in the ophthalmic examination of patients affected with severe diabetic retinopathy but no visual complaint.

A transversal analytical study was conducted of 44 visually asymptomatic diabetic patients. All were eligible to retinal panphotocoagulation in at least one eye. Duration and type of the disease as well as time of the first ophthalmic examination were established.

Of the 44 patients, 6 (13.7%) had diabetes type 1 and 38 (86.3%) had diabetes type 2. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy was present in 24 (54.5%) and severe or very severe non proliferative retinopathy was present in 20 (45.5%). Best visual acuity ranged from 0.5 to 1.0 (mean 0.83+/-0.17) according to the Snellen chart. The time interval between diagnosis of diabetes and the first ophthalmic examination ranged from 7 to 19.5 years (13.2+/-5.12) for diabetes type 1 and from 3 months to 18 years (5.2+/-4.81) for diabetes type 2.

Advanced diabetic retinopathy may be detected at different times of the ophthalmic examination in both types of diabetes. Although the mean interval between the diagnosis and the first examination is 13 years for diabetes type 1 and 5 years for diabetes type 2, this severe kind of retinopathy occurred as early as three months after diagnosis of diabetes. This points to the need for an earlier ophthalmic examination in the case of this disease.