Introduction:

Diabetic retinopathy is the main cause of blindness in diabetic people aged 20 to 64 years; it increases its occurrence due to poor control of the disease, expressed by high values of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c).

Objective:

To establish the relationship between glycosylated hemoglobin levels and the presence of retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods:

A descriptive, prospective and cross-sectional study was carried out, in which sociodemographic data, others from an ophthalmologic evaluation and HbA1c levels were obtained, by means of an observation card, from patients seen in the outpatient clinic of Hospital General “Isidro Ayora” of the city of Loja, Ecuador, in the period February-June 2018. Frequency and association measures were applied for statistical analysis.

Results:

The study included 160 patients: 108 women and 52 men, all of mixed race. Retinopathy was identified in 26.8% (N=43) of patients, of whom 41% (N=18) were over 65 years of age. The mean HbA1c in patients without retinopathy was 7.4%, and 9.8% in those with retinopathy. A higher percentage of patients with HbA1c values of 7% or more had diabetic retinopathy, compared to those with HbA1C under 7% (p<0.0001). Moderate nonproliferative retinopathy was the main diagnosis.

Conclusions:

Poor glycemic control in persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with increased likelihood of retinal lesions.

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