ABSTRACT
To determine the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study was conducted at Royal Medical Services hospitals between March 200 1 and March 2004. A total of 583 patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus were referred to ophthalmology clinics by their treating physicians for ophthalmologic assessment. The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was 22.6%. The commonest presenting diabetic retinopathy was mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy [3 1 .5%], and the least common was severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy [17.3%].Diabetic retinopathy is a common finding in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus. Being a preventable and treatable complication if diagnosed and treated at earlier stages, a national strategy should be implemented to achieve this goal