Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Metabolic Control of Diabetic Patients in Diabetic Retinopathy and Its Screening.

ABSTRACT

(1) Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), screening programs of which have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the screening of diabetes patients in our healthcare area (HCA). (2) Methods: We carried out a retrospective study of patients with DM who had attended the DR screening program between January 2015 and June 2022. We studied attendance, DM metabolic control and DR incidence. (3) Results: Screening for DR decreased in the first few months of the pandemic. The incidence of mild and moderate DR remained stable throughout the study, and we observed little increase in severe DR, proliferative DR and neovascular glaucoma during 2021 and 2022. (4) Conclusions: The current study shows that during the COVID-19 pandemic, screening program attendance decreased during the year 2020, which then recovered in 2021. Regarding the most severe forms of DR, a slight increase in cases was observed, beginning in the year 2021. Nevertheless, we aimed to improve the telemedicine systems, since the conditions of a significant proportion of the studied patients worsened during the pandemic; these patients are likely those who were already poorly monitored.