Background: Cataract is a major cause of visual impairment among diabetic patients. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of cataracts and its associated factors among diabetes mellitus patients in the West Bank, Palestine, in order to better identify the targets for future healthcare policy and interventions. Materials and Methods: A prospective quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted in all governorates of the West Bank with a proportionally and randomly selected sample size of 385 subjects. The participants were interviewed face to face for an average of ten minutes to fill in a previously validated Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) questionnaire. Then after, blood and urine samples were collected and finally, the participants were passed for an ophthalmic examination performed by a certified ophthalmologist. Results: The prevalence of any cataract, nuclear cataract, cortical cataract, and posterior subcapsular cataract was found to be 47.8%, 28.1%, 14.0%, and 4.7% respectively. The most significant factors for any cataract were: age (55 - 64) (OR 5.375), age (≥ 65) (OR 30.238), DM duration (10 - 19) (OR 2.251), DM duration (≥ 20) (OR 5.771), systemic steroid therapy (OR 0.411). For nuclear cataract, significant associated factors were age (55 - 64) (OR 9.576), age (≥ 65) (OR 17.928), DM duration (≥ 20) (OR 3.059), ALK PHOS (OR 0.354). For cortical cataract: DM duration (≥ 20) (OR 6.134) was the only significant factor. And in the case of posterior subcapsular cataract, age was the only significant factor (OR 1.076). Conclusion: The high prevalence of cataract among diabetic patients in West Bank indicates the importance of cataract screening program for DM patients as an attempt to prevent visual impairment and related disabilities.

Title

Acta Scientific Ophthalmology

Publisher

Acta Scientific

Publisher Country

India

Indexing

Thomson Reuters

Impact Factor

1.042

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

4

Year

2021

Pages

print: 72-86/online: 15