Diabetes Retinopathy: An Often Undermined Complication

Abstract

Background: In Campania region there are approximately 460000 patients at risk of blindness due to complications of diabetes. Manifestations of diabetic retinopathy include microaneurysms, intraretinal hemorrhage, exudates, macular edema, macular ischaemia, neovascularization, vitreous hemorrhage, and tractional retinal detachment. Early diagnosis and management of patients with diabetic retinopathy are essential to saving sight. It is important to raise awareness among people with diabetes of the importance of going to the ophthalmologist, even in the absence of symptoms, to carry out an examination of the fundus of the eye.

Materials and Methods: On July 5th 2024, the Diabetology Unit and the Ophtalmology Unit of Monaldi Hospital organized an awareness and prevention campaign day for diabetic maculopathy entitled “Diabetes, let’s keep an eye on it”. We selected 65 type 2 diabetic patients with retinopathy. Patients usually performed eye exam every year and were chosen with a diagnosis of background retinopathy in the last year.