Abstract:
Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease caused by inherited and/or acquired
deficiency in production of insulin by the pancreas, or by the ineffectiveness of the insulin
produced. Diabetes prevalence has been rising more rapidly in the middle- and low-income
countries. The leading causes of blindness secondary to diabetes are diabetic retinopathy,
cataracts, and glaucoma. Awareness and understanding of diabetes and its eye complications is a
reliable factor that informs patients’ attitude towards adhering to management regimen and
regular eye examination.
Aim: To assess the knowledge level of diabetic patients on diabetes and its eye complications in
selected health facilities within the Tema Metropolis in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.
Materials and Methods: A cross‑ sectional survey was carried out between January and May,
2020 in the Tema Metropolis. A total of 422 pretested structured questionnaires were
systematically administered to interview diabetic patients at Tema General Hospital, Tema
Polyclinic and Manhean Health Centre. Data was collected on respondents’ socio-demographic
characteristics, knowledge of diabetic status, knowledge of diabetic eye disease and referral rate
for eye examinations. Univariate analysis was applied to establish the frequency and percentage
distributions of the responses. Chi-square (χ2) and Fisher’s exact tests were employed to
determine the factors associations. Regression analysis was used to predict the strength of the
associations. The threshold for statistical significance was set at a p-value less than 0.05.
Results: A few (3.86%) of diabetic patients did not know that they were diabetic. Knowledge on
diabetic ocular complications was low, and only 77 (18.60%) of the patients knew two or more
of the ocular complications of diabetes. Knowledge of diabetic ocular complications was significantly associated with age group (p=0.019), educational level (p<0.001), marital status
(p=0.002), occupation (p=0.001), ethnicity (p=0.030), income level (p<0.001) and residence
(p=0.008). Majority of the interviewees (63.04%) had a history of an eye examination. Only
57.33% of them were referred for the eye examination by the doctor managing diabetes.
Conclusion: Knowledge of diabetic eye complications is low among diabetic patients. Most of
the referrals for eye exams are done by their physicians managing diabetes. Policies by the
government are required to decrease the incidence of diabetes. Also, healthcare authorities are
also required to intensify the education on diabetic eye complications and early referral for an
eye examination.
