An Assessment on the Awareness of Diabetic Retinopathy Among Participants Attending the Diabetes Awareness Camp in Saudi Arabia.

Aim The objective of this study is to assess the level of awareness of the effect of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy (DR) on the eye among a sample of the Jeddah community. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among those attending a diabetes awareness camp in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in November 2021. Participants were asked to answer questions in a structured questionnaire that was already used in a previous study. Responses were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 (IBM SPSS Statistics, Armonk, NY, USA). Results A total of 352 participants were included in this study, 184 (52.3%) of them were females. Of the participants, only 74 (21%) had diabetes mellitus (DM). The vast majority (94%) of the participants believed that diabetes could affect the eyes, and 94.3% believed that maintaining the level of blood sugar could maintain the eye and the level of vision. Moreover, 77.3% were aware that diabetes could lead to visual impairment and blindness. Around one-third of the total participants and less than half of the diabetic group were found familiar with DR. Although 96% of diabetic participants reported the need for diabetics to get their eyes checked annually, only 70% did so. Lack of awareness of the effect of diabetes on the retina was the main barrier preventing diabetic groups from getting their eye checked. Conclusion Despite the good level of awareness among the community and diabetics about diabetes and its effect on the eyes, there is less awareness that DR is one of the most dangerous complications that lead to visual impairments. These findings assure the importance to raise awareness of DR among the community and diabetics and increase awareness of the importance of annual eye examinations.

Contact lens procurement and usage habits among adults in Sudan.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to assess contact lens (CL) wear and care habits among adults in Sudan. DESIGN: An observational, non-interventional, multi-center, cross-sectional study was conducted in the CL departments of all the eye hospitals and centers, and optical centers in the Khartoum State, Sudan. PARTICIPANTS: Established CL wearers residing in Khartoum State, Sudan. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: CL wear profile, CL usage habits, hand and CL hygiene habits were assessed using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: The average age of the 442 participants was 24.57 (± 4.87) years. Women comprised 92% of the sample. Smoking was reported by 15.8% of the sample. 81.9% wore soft spherical CL, with 43.4% of the participants were prescribed CL on a yearly replacement schedule. Only 68.3% were prescribed CL by an eye care practitioner. Multipurpose solutions were used by 78.8% of the sample to clean CL, and by 52% to clean the lens case. Compliance rate for CL wear and care among participants was 81.1%. None of the participants reported sharing CL or CL case and rinsing the case with tap water. High compliance level was observed for overnight wear; swimming and showering with CL; handwashing before CL insertion; and cleaning of CL. Moderate compliance rates were recorded for cleaning and replacing lens case, and topping up or sharing solution. Low compliance was noted for attending after care visits. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: CL wearers in Sudan exhibit high to moderate levels of compliance to most contact lens wear and care aspects, except for attending aftercare visits. CL practitioners in Sudan are encouraged to prescribe CL appropriate to the lifestyle and economic situation of patients and actively recommend care products. In addition, practitioners need to follow up with patients to attend aftercare appointments, where hygienic wear and care habits should be emphasized.

Central corneal thickness measurement using ultrasonic pachymeter, optical coherence tomography, and TMS-5 topographer.

AIM: This study aimed to compare the central corneal thickness (CCT) measurements using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and TMS-5 topographer with that taken with the gold standard digital Ultrasonic pachymeter (USP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 61 subjects (122 eyes) were prospectively and consecutively studied in a period from June 2016 to June 2017 at Sudan Eye Centre (SEC), Khartoum, Sudan. Besides the visual and refractive data, measurements of CCT were taken using OCT, TMS-5 and USP. Data analyzed using SPSS software for windows (IBM SPSS 20, IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). RESULTS: A statistically significant differences in mean CCT was detected between the three instruments (P < 0.001). USP was found to measure the CCT 29µm thicker than OCT and 22µm thicker than TMS-5 topographer. A significant difference was also found between OCT and TMS-5. OCT found to give the lower values of CCT compared to both USP and TMS-5 topographer. Further analysis showed that the three procedures were significantly and strongly correlated to each other (USP vs OCT, r = 0.77), (USP vs TMS-5, r = 0.78) and (OCT vs TMS-5, r = 0.80). CONCLUSION: Mean central corneal thicknesses (CCT) were comparable among OCT, TMS-5 topographer and the gold standard USP. However, there is a reproducible systematic difference between CCT measurements taken with the three devices. It is important to note in clinical practice, that measurements acquired by these three modalities are not directly interchangeable.

Prevalence of convergence insufficiency among secondary school students in Khartoum, Sudan.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the prevalence of convergence insufficiency (CI) in a school-based population in Sudan. This study sought to determine the prevalence of CI and its related clinical characteristics among Sudanese secondary school students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in Central Khartoum North, Sudan, in the academic year 2013/2014. A total of 4211 secondary school students, with a mean age of 15.5 ± 2.5 years, underwent complete eye examination, and were screened for symptoms associated with near work. Near and distance heterophoria was measured with the alternate cover test using a prism bar; near point of convergence (NPC) and positive fusional vergence (PFV) at near were determined. RESULTS: Of the 4211 students screened, 329 (7.8%) were diagnosed with CI. Of these, 173 (52.6%) students were male and 156 (47.4%) were female; there was no significant relationship between sex and CI (P > 0.05). Standard schools had a higher prevalence of CI (43%) than geographic schools (36%) and there was a significant association between CI and the type of school (P < 0.05). In most of the students (78.42%), CI was due to both remote NPC and decreased PFV; in 20.36% of the students, CI was due to remote NPC only, and in very few students (1.22%), it was due to decreased PFV only. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that CI is prevalent in the secondary school population in Central Khartoum North, Sudan.