Regular eye examinations of diabetic patients in the finnish health care system

Abstract

A questionnaire about regular eye examinations of diabetic patients was sent to 1,776 physicians in eastern, western and southern provinces of Finland. The study was a part of a larger questionnaire about the medical care of high blood pressure and diabetes. Of the 1,706 doctors working actively, 950 (56%) completed the questionnaire, and398 (42%) of them treated diabetic patients and gave their opinions of the ophthalmological care in diabetic patients. Regular eye examinations in type I diabetes were carried out annually by 79% of the physicians. In type II diabetic patients, the figure was 55%. In different provinces, these percentages varied from 61% to 81% in type I and from 38% to 74% in type II diabetes. The eye examination was performed in 54% by the physician who also treated diabetes, otherwise the examinations were performed by an ophthalmologist in a hospital, health centre or in private practice. In southern provinces of Finland, regular eye examinations were performed primarily by ophthalmologists in private practice, in western and eastern provinces they were performed by the doctors who also treated diabetes. Most of the regular annual eye examinations were reported by specialists in general practice and physicians working in health centres. The reported current practice in the regular eye examinations of type I diabetic patients is near the current European and American recommendations, but in type II diabetic patients these recommendations are not met adequately.