A PROFILE OF DIABETIC RETINOPATY PATIENTS RECEIVING GREEN LASER FROM 2015 TO 2019 IN D.I.KHAN DIVISION, PAKISTAN

ABSTRACT: Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading cause of blindness worldwide and laser therapy has a basic role in the control of diabetic retinopathy. Green laser therapies are performed both for proliferative diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema. The aim of our study was to determine the frequencies of different stages of diabetic retinopathy in patients undergoing laser in our setup. Materials & Methods: This descriptive study was conducted at the department of Ophthalmology, Gomal Medical College, D.I.Khan, Pakistan from January 2015 to December 2019.The sample consisted of all the diabetic patients undergoing green laser procedures during this period at Eye Unit, DHQ Teaching Hospital D.I.Khan Pakistan. Results: Out of a total of 1,893 green laser procedures performed for diabetic patients from January 2015 to December 2019, 1,011 were male and 882 were female. 969 (51.1%) patients were having relatively early stages of DR, 676 (35.7) patients had advanced DR and 248 (13.1%) had diabetic macular edema (DME). Conclusion: Laser therapy is frequently needed for the control of diabetic eye disease so keeping in mind the disease burden the laser facilities should be expanded in our setup.