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The Impact of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Duration on Diminishing Visual Acuity in Pakistan

Muhammad Junaid¹, Fawad Ahmed², Zia ur Rehman², Irfan Ali³ and Tayyaba Arshad⁴

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study aims to provide a comprehensive picture of diabetic retinopathy in Pakistan by evaluating how diabetes affects blindness and visual impairment in people with the disease.

Study Design: Hospital-based cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Mehboob Charity Vision International Eye and General Hospital, Mansehra, KPK, Pakistan from May 2023 to December-2023.

Methods: It uses standardized eye charts to assess visual acuity and clinical data and uses statistical software for both quantitative and qualitative analysis.

Results: The study found a significant prevalence of T2DM in 273 (90.75%) respondents compared to only 27 (9.20%) respondents with T1DM.  Visual acuity results depict varying degrees of impairment, with 35 respondents (11.65%) having 6/60 or less, 95 (31.28%) respondents in the 6/38 to 6/19 range, and 155 respondents (51.53%) in the 6/15 to 6/6 range. Other ocular complications include posterior subcapsular cataracts (14.72%), lenticular changes (19.01%), and 6.34% with Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR). Fundus examination results indicate 163 (53.96%) respondents presented with normal findings, 29 (9.52%) respondents with mild Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (NDPR), and 19 (6.34%) respondents with moderate NDPR. Refractive errors occur bilaterally in 255 (84.12%) respondents, and a cup-disc abnormal ratio is noted in 14 (4.76%) respondents. Glaucoma is present in 5 (1.58%) of cases.

Conclusion: This study highlights the significant impact of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) on visual acuity in Pakistan, highlighting the complexity of diabetic retinopathy, its varying degrees of impairment and associated factors emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to alleviate this burden.

Key Words: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), Diabetic Retinopathy, Visual Acuity, Vision Impairment, Pakistan, Blindness.

Citation of article: Junaid M, Ahmed F, Rehman Z, Ali I, Arshad T. The Impact of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Duration on Diminishing Visual Acuity in Pakistan. Med Forum 2024;35(11):20-25.doi:10.60110/ medforum.351104.