Phase I: Qualitative Study
“Those who were referred, they do not come until they are not able to see. Otherwise, they say that I was told five years ago, but I was seeing, I did not come. They wait for vision problems, then come. For DR it is late.” Ophthalmologist, Uganda
Individuals with diabetes described a range of referral practices, including some that linked patients with specific affiliated providers. However, a number of individuals with diabetes described relatively vague recommendations regarding eye care, rather than concrete referrals to specific clinics or specialists.
Individual with diabetes, age 28, Argentina
“We talked about [eye problems] before and she just reminds me to get my eyes checked.”
Individual with diabetes, age 60, Saudi Arabia
“During the visits, he always ask me about my vision, he doesn’t examine my eyes, or sometimes just look at my eyes externally, and just reminds me that I should be following up with the ophthalmology clinic.”
There were suggestions that inadequate referrals to ophthalmology services resulted from insufficient information. Providers may know the general connections between diabetes and DR, but may not have sufficient information regarding disease progression and risk to translate that into good practices.
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The Diabetic Retinopathy Barometer Report: Global Findings