Profile of patients with diabetic retinopathy undergoing treatment in an ophthalmology clinic

Abstract

Objective: To identify the profile of patients, and the variables related to the incidence of diabetic retinopathy in patients undergoing treatment at an ophthalmology clinic in a city in Minas Gerais. Method: Quantitative, descriptive study, in which the participants were people with diabetes and diagnosed with retinopathy, undergoing treatment at an ophthalmology clinic. A questionnaire was constructed for data collection. Data were collected at the clinic, on the day of the patients' consultation (CAAE: 48786421.5.0000.5116). Results: In general, it was possible to find a profile of elderly people, with an average of 5 years of education, who do not practice physical activity, married, with type 2 diabetes, with fasting blood glucose levels greater than 150mg/dl, who live with diabetes for 20 years, and who had visual difficulties before the diagnosis of retinopathy. The average time since diagnosis of retinopathy was 4 years. The most reported type of diabetes treatment was the use of insulin and oral hypoglycemic agents. Regarding consultations with an ophthalmologist, the majority reported having them every 1 year and/or 6 months. Many participants also have a diagnosis of high blood pressure (85%), and with a lower prevalence, they also have diabetic foot ulcers (29.6%) and kidney disease (24%). Conclusion: It is possible to conclude that, according to the patient profile found in this research, the professional nurse has a range of resources to work on preventing retinopathy complications in this clientele, since the main associated problems are preventable.