Eureka! Institutional Repository

Abstract Introduction: Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) may be one of the most common microvascular complication of Diabetes; should it is not diagnosed promptly, it can cause irreparable eye damage. Patients' compliance to eye care and control guidelines is considered necessary. Aim: To measure the level of compliance to the recommended eye screening for patients that have experienced DR and to identify the factors related to the lack of compliance, proposing an effective improvement plan within the proposed therapeutic plan. Sample and Methods: A total of 110 patients from Northern Greece that have been diagnosed with DR were reviewed; the survey took place in a private ophthalmology clinic in Thessaloniki. The questionnaire included 60 questions with regards to basic demographics and various clinical features, based on the Diabetes Self-Management Questionaire, the Diabetes Care Profile (DCP) as well as the Diabetes Attitude Survey (DAS). Results: Patients living in a family environment demonstrated high compliance rates to their proposed therapeutic plan. Educational levels along with duration of the disease have been regarded as critical factors that influence eye control compliance. On the other hand, age did not seem to affect the frequency of visits to the ophthalmologist. Conclusion: In addition to the numerous demographic and clinical factors that have been shown to affect in a direct way patients' compliance, it has been found that, in general, patients had a limited knowledge towards both DR and Diabetes treatment.