REVIEW ON BLINDNESS IN PEOPLE WITH DIABETIC RETINOPATHY

Blindness is a medical and social problem, and usually it is the final stage of most ophthalmic diseases, with diabetic retinopathy (DR) being one of the four most common etiological reasons. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is a terminal and most complex form of DR, which occurs within a period of 1-15 years from the diagnosis; however, the treatment can cause a definite loss of eyesight. The aim of the review was to analyze the epidemiological, demographic and clinical characteristics of people who have lost their eyesight because of DR as an etiological reason. The research represents a quantitative analytical cross-sectional study done in the year 2014, and included 60 people with blindness due to diabetic retinopathy. From a total of 311 blind people, 60 (19.29%) lost their eyesight caused by DR, which is the second cause of blindness. Thirty-six people or 58.3% were male, and 24 (41.7%) were female. Their mean age was 58.4 ± 17.1 years, i.e. men were aged 57 years (mean age 21±18,6 years), women were aged 59 years (mean age 58±16.5 years). Thirty-one people or 51.7% lost their eyesight during the period of 1-5 years from the diagnosis of PDR, 20 (33.33%) during the period of 6-10 years, and 9 (15%) within a longer period of 10 years. Thirty-two people or 53.3% were diagnosed with PDR, in 12 (20%) people PDR was concomitant with glaucoma, in 8 (13.3%) with cataract and in 8 (13.3%) people with other complications. Acta Medica Medianae 2017;56(2):45-50.