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Purpose. To assess the knowledge and awareness of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy among ophthalmic patients in Madang. Materials and Methods. This was a hospital-based study conducted at Madang Provincial Hospital Eye Clinic in Papua New Guinea. The study included all patients who visited the facility during the period of the study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on the patients’ demographics and their knowledge and awareness about diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. Results. A total of 203 (97.6%) patients consented and participated in the study out of 208 patients who were approached. The age of participants ranged from 19 to 78 years with a median (IQR) of 41 (53–29) years. 107 (52.7%) were female participants. A majority of the participants (62.6%) had at least secondary education. A few of the participants (3.9%) had known diabetes, and 134 (66%) had no relatives or friends with diabetes. A total of 145 (71.4%) participants knew that diabetes can affect the eye. Most of the participants (93.6%) checked their eyes only when their vision was affected, 161 (79.3%) agreed that regular eye checks are necessary, and more than half (54.2%) knew that diabetes can lead to blindness. Age, gender, level of education, and whether a participant or participant’s friends and relatives had been diagnosed with diabetes were significantly associated with the knowledge and awareness of participants about diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. Conclusion. A majority of the participants had good knowledge of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. Health education and promotion will also help increase the awareness of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy in the country.

Purpose. To explore the prevalence of risk factors of retinal diseases among patients seeking services from Madang Provincial Hospital Eye Clinic in Papua New Guinea. Materials and Methods. A hospital-based retrospective study was conducted at the only eye clinic serving the entire Madang province of Papua New Guinea. Purposive sampling was used to obtain data from patients’ record cards at the eye clinic from January to June 2021. The data collected included gender, age, presenting visual acuity, blood pressure, blood sugar level, body mass index, smoking habits, and history of cataract surgery. The data was analyzed using the International Business Machines Corporation’s Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21. A p -value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. Two hundred and fifty-five (255) patients went through diabetes and hypertension screening during the period of the study (January to June 2021). The mean age of the patients was 53.14 ± 11.20 years and there were more males (56.86%) than females. Nearly half of the patients (43.6%) were either visually impaired or blind. More than half (52.6%) had diabetes mellitus. Majority of the patients (73.3%) were hypertensive and more than half (57.0%) of the patients had unhealthy body mass index (BMI <18.525 kg/m2 or > 25 kg/m2). Overweight was significantly associated with hypertension ( p < 0.001 ) and diabetes mellitus ( p < 0.001 ). A few of them were smokers or had a history of cataract surgery (13.7% and 2.0%, respectively). Conclusion. There is a high prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, and overweight among ophthalmic patients in Madang. It is important that measures are put in place to eliminate barriers to health care and to strengthen eye care services in Papua New Guinea.

Purpose: To assess the prevalence and distribution of refractive errors in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG). Methods: A retrospective hospital-based study was conducted at Madang Provincial Hospital Eye Clinic. It is a free eye clinic and spectacle costs are further subsidized by a nongovernmental organization. Nonprobability purposive sampling was used to retrieve patients' records at the eye clinic from January to December 2016. Only demographic and clinic data on the patients' first visit to the eye clinic were recorded and these included their age, gender, location, presenting visual acuity (VA), and refractive correction. Results: One thousand and one hundred eighty-four patients' records were retrieved, of which 622 (52.53%) had refractive error. The mean age of refractive error presentation was 49.68 ± 16.29 years with a range of 9–86 years. There were more males (55%) than females. About a quarter of the patients (21.2%) presented with moderate visual impairment. There was a statistically significant relationship between visual impairment and age group ( P < 0.001). Myopia (53.1%) was the most common type of refractive error followed by hyperopia (32.5%) and astigmatism (14.4%). The uptake of spectacle correction was very high (95.3%) among the patients. More than one-tenth of the patients (12.5%) reported from other provinces. Almost one-third of the patients (31.4%) could not obtain a VA of 6/6 after refraction. About one-fifth (17.0%) of the patients were suspected of functional amblyopia. Conclusions: Uncorrected refractive error (URE) is a significant cause of visual impairment in PNG. There is a need for the integration of eye care services into primary health care for early detection, treatment, and prevention of visual impairment caused by UREs.