Original articleThe Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy in Australian Adults with Self-Reported Diabetes: The National Eye Health Survey
Section snippets
Study Population
The NEHS is a population-based, cross-sectional study of 4836 Australians (n = 3098 non-Indigenous Australians and n = 1738 Indigenous Australians) 40 to 98 years of age. The sampling methodology of the NEHS has been described in detail elsewhere.14 In brief, a multistage random-cluster sampling methodology was used to identify 30 geographic areas across 5 Australian states and 1 territory, stratified by remoteness, to obtain a representative sample of non-Indigenous Australians 50 years of age
Prevalence of Self-Reported Diabetes
A total of 4836 individuals were recruited and examined in the NEHS, including 3098 (64.1%) non-Indigenous Australians and 1738 (35.9%) Indigenous Australians. In total, 431 (13.9%) non-Indigenous Australians and 645 (37.1%) Indigenous Australians self-reported diabetes. Of these, 404 (93.7%) non-Indigenous Australians and 600 (93.0%) Indigenous Australians had retinal photographs from at least 1 eye that were gradable for DR and subsequently were included in analysis. Among the participants
Discussion
This was a nationwide study of the prevalence of DR in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians who self-reported diabetes. The prevalence of VTDR among Indigenous Australians 40 years of age and older and non-Indigenous Australians 50 years of age and older was 9.5% and 4.5%, respectively. As has been found in previous population-based studies,4, 10, 24, 25 the prevalence of DR and VTDR was related strongly to duration of diabetes.
For non-Indigenous Australians with diabetes in the NEHS,
Acknowledgments
The Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) and Vision 2020 Australia thank the NEHS project steering committee members for their contributions (Professor Hugh Taylor, Dr. Peter van Wijngaarden, Jennifer Gersbeck, Dr. Jason Agostino, Anna Morse, Sharon Bentley, Robyn Weinberg, Christine Black, Genevieve Quilty, Louis Young, and Rhonda Stilling) and the core CERA research team who assisted with the survey field work (Joshua Foreman, Pei Ying Lee, Rosamond Gilden, Larissa Andersen, Benny
References (35)
- et al.
Projecting the burden of diabetes in Australia—what is the size of the matter?
Aust N Z J Public Health
(2009) - et al.
Diabetes in Victoria, Australia: the Visual Impairment Project
Aust N Z J Public Health
(2000) - et al.
Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in an older community. The Blue Mountains Eye Study
Ophthalmology
(1998) - et al.
Quantifying the excess risk for proteinuria, hypertension and diabetes in Australian Aborigines: comparison of profiles in three remote communities in the Northern Territory with those in the AusDiab study
Aust N Z J Public Health
(2007) - et al.
Evaluating the quality of self-reports of hypertension and diabetes
J Clin Epidemiol
(2003) - et al.
Accuracy of self-reported diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia in the Spanish population. DINO study findings
Rev Esp Cardiol
(2009) - et al.
Agreement between self-report questionnaires and medical record data was substantial for diabetes, hypertensions, myocardial infarction and stroke but not for heart failure
J Clin Epidemiol
(2004) - et al.
Prevalence and risk factors for diabetic retinopathy: the Singapore Malay Eye Study
Ophthalmology
(2008) - et al.
Global prevalence and major risk factors of diabetic retinopathy
Diabetes Care
(2012) - Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute. Diabetes: the Silent Pandemic and Its Impact on Australia. 2012. Available at:...
The prevalence of and factors associated with diabetic retinopathy in the Australian population
Diabetes Care
The Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study
Diabetes incidence in an Australian aboriginal population. An 8-year follow-up study
Diabetes Care
Prevalence of self-reported diabetes and diabetic retinopathy in Indigenous Australians: the National Indigenous Eye Health Survey
Clin Exp Ophthalmol
Prevalence of trachoma and diabetes-related eye disease among a cohort of adult Aboriginal patients screened over the period 1999–2004 in remote South Australia
Clin Exp Ophthalmol
Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in an Aboriginal Australian population: results from the Katherine Region Diabetic Retinopathy Study (KRDRS)
Clin Exp Ophthalmol
Prevalence and associations of diabetic retinopathy in indigenous Australians within central Australia: the Central Australian Ocular Health Study
Clin Exp Ophthalmol
Cited by (54)
Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy in Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
2023, OphthalmologyCitation Excerpt :Although our findings differed from those of Kaidonis et al,6 key results are consistent with 2 recent, high-quality, population-based studies reporting comparisons by Indigenous status, both of which are included in the present review. The National Eye Health Survey and the Fremantle Diabetes Study II both found higher DR prevalence among Indigenous participants.7,8 Considering methodological differences between studies, consistency of within-study comparisons among high-quality studies adds strength to our conclusions.
Knowledge of ocular complications of diabetes in community-based people with type 2 diabetes: The Fremantle Diabetes Study II
2021, Primary Care DiabetesCitation Excerpt :In our study, 97.3% of participants thought that diabetes could lead to blindness, eye disease or both and, reflecting this high level of awareness, 90.2% had attended screening within the previous year. This latter figure is higher than the 78% who self-reported adherence to the Australian DR screening guidelines in the recent National Eye Health Survey [22], a difference that may be due to between-study differences in availability of health professional advice, access to free screening [23] and/or the Hawthorne effect as our participants were recruited to a study investigating ocular complications of diabetes. Few other studies have assessed whether people with diabetes know about non-DR ophthalmic complications.
Role of Lnc-RNAs in the Pathogenesis and Development of Diabetic Retinopathy
2023, International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Financial Disclosure(s): The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
Supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council (Career Development Fellowship no.: 1090466 [M.D.]); and an Australian Postgraduate Award (J.F.). The National Eye Health Survey was funded by the Department of Health of the Australian Government and also received financial contributions from Novartis Australia and in-kind support from our industry and sector partners, OPSM, Carl Zeiss, Designs for Vision, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Optometry Australia, and the Brien Holden Vision Institute. OPSM donated sunglasses valued at $130 for each study participant. The Centre for Eye Research Australia receives Operational Infrastructure Support from the Victorian Government.
Author Contributions:
Conception and design: Xie, van Wijngaarden, Taylor, Dirani
Analysis and interpretation: Keel, Xie
Data collection: Keel, Xie, Foreman, Dirani
Obtained funding: none
Overall responsibility: Keel, Xie, Foreman, van Wijngaarden, Taylor, Dirani