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INTRODUCTION: Diabetic retinopathy is a chronic, progressive and potentially sight threatening disease and the most
commonly diagnosed complication of diabetes. Its incidence increases with prolonged duration of diabetes and accounts for a
significant amount of morbidities that are directly related to diabetes as it is one of the leading causes of visual handicap. This study was
conducted to assess the knowledge of diabetic retinopathy among diagnosed diabetic patients, attending clinics at the Colombo South
Teaching Hospital (CSTH). OBJECTIVES: (1) To assess the knowledge of diabetic retinopathy among diabetic patients at CSTH. (2)
To assess the association between the duration of diabetes and the knowledge on diabetic retinopathy. (3) To assess the association
between the education level and the knowledge on diabetic retinopathy. (4) To assess the association between the socio-economic
background and the knowledge on diabetic retinopathy. METHODOLOGY: The data collection was carried out over a period of 12
weeks, during which an interviewer administered questionnaire was distributed among 200 respondents attending clinics at CSTH.
Systematic random sampling was used as the sampling technique and data was analyzed using SPSS version 15.0. Descriptive data was
presented as numbers and percentages and the difference between the categories was decided with the chi square test. RESULTS:
Analysis of data revealed that 31% (62) of the study population had a good knowledge of diabetic retinopathy while 69.0% had poor
knowledge, implying that a significant proportion of patients have a poor knowledge on diabetic retinopathy (DR). A significant
association between the level of knowledge and the duration of the disease (< 5 years or = > 5 years), was identified in the present study.
Level of education and level of income had a significant association with knowledge. Educational level of the spouse too was a
significant factor (P < 0.05) under the category of family support. Sources of information had a significant association with the level of
knowledge. CONCLUSION: The knowledge of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in the study population was found to be poor. A statistically
significant association between knowledge of diabetic retinopathy and the following variables, which included the duration of diabetes,
socio-economic background, family support and the sources of information was identified.
