Introduction: Diabetic retinopathy is the most common chronic complication of diabetes
and the most common cause of blindness among the working population as well as an
important cause of blindness among the elderly. Timely referral and good glycemic and
antihypertensive control are important for the success of ocular treatment. Nurses have a
very important task and all the necessary competencies to prevent the consequences of
diabetic retinopathy when visiting diabetic patients in eye clinics and to make patients
aware of the importance of regular imaging of the ocular background and a healthy
lifestyle. Purpose: The purpose of the master's thesis is to describe the knowledge of
diabetic retinopathy and its consequences in patients with diabetes and the factors that
most influence their awareness. To present the role of the nurse and the importance of
ocular background imaging in diabetic patients and to determine the extent to which
patients are aware of the importance of a healthy lifestyle (evaluating diet and smoking)
has an impact on reducing the consequences of diabetic retinopathy. Methods of work:
The research was conducted with the help of a structured questionnaire in paper form.
According to the researched population, hypotheses and goals, the analytical method of
work was used. The research strategy was cross-sectional research. Databases MEDLINE,
PubMed, CINAHL, Springer link and Science Direct were used in the literature search.
Resource time constraints ranged from 2000 to 2020. Results: 98 diabetic patients
participated in the study. The results of the study show that 93.9 % of diabetic patients
knew the consequences of diabetic retinopathy. However, there were statistically
differences in knowledge of the consequences. The research gave us information that a
nurse in the outpatient clinic for screening diabetic retinopathy informed patients about
79.6 % of patients about the consequences of developing diabetic retinopathy. More than
half of the respondents, however, estimated that their lifestyle is healthy. Discussion and
conclusion: The study found that a high percentage of patients coming to the Eye Clinic in
a diabetic retinopathy screening clinic were immediately referred for ocular background
imaging and were mostly aware of the consequences on the ocular background. Research
has confirmed that the role of the nurse in identifying and preventing the consequences of
diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetes is extremely important.
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