Abstract
Purpose :
To evaluate the prevalence of both diabetic and incidental non-diabetic ocular comorbidities detected during eye exam for diabetes performed at primary care offices.
Methods :
This was a retrospective review of patient fundus images performed in 580 primary care offices across the United States. Images were obtained in the patient’s primary care office and sent via the cloud for interpretation. Images were read/interpreted by licensed eye care professionals in the Topcon Screen Reading Center via the Topcon Harmony RS PACS system. Screenings were performed in accordance with the American Diabetes Association guidelines. These guidelines require an initial diabetic eye exam within 5 years of Type 1 diabetes diagnosis and immediately with a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. Screenings should be conducted annually if no diabetic retinopathy pathology is found.
Results :
Figure 1 shows the findings from 97,680 exams performed in 580 primary care offices in the United States. Pathology was found in 34.1% (33,337/97,680) of exams. Diabetic Retinopathy pathologies accounted for 53% (17,660/33,337) with mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy accounting for 25% (8,316/33,337). Incidental non-diabetic pathologies totaled 47% (15,677/33,337). The most common incidental findings were drusen and/or pigmentary changes 14% (4,596/33,337), increased cup to disc ratio 10% (3315/33,337) and macular degeneration 6% (2,115/33,337). The rate of DR is consistent with the findings from other studies (see Lee et al. Eye and Vision (2015) 2:17).
Conclusions :
This data confirms that DR screening in a primary care setting can successfully identify both diabetic retinopathy and other ocular pathologies at scale, providing information that may help individual patients seek eye care as needed.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.