Pregnancy is a risk factor for the development and progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in women with pre-gestational diabetes. However, a minority of pregnant women with diabetes adhere to retinal screening recommendations. The introduction of an onsite retinal camera at our tertiary maternity hospital significantly increased the proportion of women who received at least one retinal screen during pregnancy (93.0% vs 54.3%, P < 0.001) and the identification of both DR and DR progression. We conclude that the use of a retinal camera in similar clinics is a feasible option to improve DR screening and diagnosis rates in pregnancy.
Keywords: diabetic retinopathy; diagnostic screening programs; pregnancy complications; pregnancy in diabetes; retinal diseases.
© 2022 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.