Diabetes related visual disability incidence as an indicator of the quality of ophthalmic and diabetic care

Purpose
This study was to investigate the incidence of blindness due to diabetes in the years 1989-2003, and to compare the studied coefficients in view of the changes in diabetic and ophthalmic care proceeding in the region

Material and methods
Studies on the incidence of diabetes related blindness were conducted in the Warmia & Mazury Region in the years 1989-2003 among patients with type 1 (DM1) and type 2 (DM2) diabetes. Blindness recognized according to the WHO criteria. The incidence rate (IR) was expressed as the number of new blindness cases per 100 000 population per year

Results
The register covered 274 patients visually disabled due to diabetes, in this 69 with DM1, in average of age 47.1, and 205 with DM2, in average of age 65.6. At the beginning of the observation IR varied with the highest in 1995 – 4.8/100000 (CI: 3.2-6.3). This period was characterized by limited access of patients to diabetologists and laserotherapy. From 1996 it decreased from 4.3/100000 (CI: 2.8-5.7) to 0.9/100 000 (CI:0.2-1.6) in 2003 – a new programme of diabetic care with early detection and treatment of retinopathy was introduced. A growth of funds for basic and outpatient clinic specialist care was observed

Conclusions
Analysis of diabetes related blindness is a good indicator of the quality of diabetic and ophthalmic care.