Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practice toward diabetic retinopathy among type 2 diabetic patients attending primary health care clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of preventable vision loss among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Despite the availability of effective screening and treatment, adherence to regular eye examinations remains suboptimal in Saudi Arabia. Understanding patients' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward DR is crucial for developing targeted interventions within primary healthcare. PURPOSE: To evaluate the KAP regarding DR among patients with T2DM attending primary healthcare clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 patients with T2DM using a validated, structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and Spearman's rank correlation were applied to examine KAP scores and their associations with sociodemographic and clinical variables. RESULTS: Only 28.5% of participants had undergone DR screening within the past year, and just 10.5% recalled receiving physician advice to do so. Knowledge scores were moderate (mean = 1.77 ± 0.23), but attitudes were largely negative (mean = 1.20 ± 0.20). Screening practices were suboptimal (mean practice score = 1.53 ± 0.29). Education level, gender, occupation, and duration of diabetes were significantly associated with KAP domains (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Despite moderate awareness of DR, most participants demonstrated poor attitudes and limited adherence to recommended screening. Our study emphasized the physician-related barriers and highlighted the importance of culturally tailored education and integrated primary care approaches to improve DR screening uptake.