Abstract
Welcome readers to this special edition of JOECSA on the
management of diabetic retinopathy. With the increase of
the prevalence of non-communicable diseases in the region,
more and more people are currently being diagnosed
with diabetes mellitus. These people carry a lifetime risk
of developing Diabetic Retinopathy (DR). When not
diagnosed early and properly managed, these people end
up developing preventable severe visual impairment or
blindness. The use of anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth
Factors (anti-VEGF) in the management of DR has
totally changed its management in the recent past. New
guidelines continue to be developed in line with the new
discoveries. Regionally, it is important to look into these
new guidelines and adopt them in ways practical to the
region. In Kenya for example, a Diabetic Retinopathy
Technical Working Group has come up some guidelines
for screening, diagnosis and management of diabetic
retinopathy in Kenya. These guidelines have been
published in this special edition to guide eye care workers
in Kenya and the whole Eastern, Central and Southern
Africa (ECSA) region on how the recent advances in
the management of DR can be adopted in the region.
More research needs to be done regionally to establish
what works and what does not work in our situation.
This edition also features two more original papers on
the some of the ways researchers in the region are trying
to improve the screening and management of diabetic
retinopathy. With this we envision a renewed interest in
research of innovative ways of tackling DR in the region.
References
Welcome readers to this special edition of JOECSA on the
management of diabetic retinopathy. With the increase of
the prevalence of non-communicable diseases in the region,
more and more people are currently being diagnosed
with diabetes mellitus. These people carry a lifetime risk
of developing Diabetic Retinopathy (DR). When not
diagnosed early and properly managed, these people end
up developing preventable severe visual impairment or
blindness. The use of anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth
Factors (anti-VEGF) in the management of DR has
totally changed its management in the recent past. New
guidelines continue to be developed in line with the new
discoveries. Regionally, it is important to look into these
new guidelines and adopt them in ways practical to the
region. In Kenya for example, a Diabetic Retinopathy
Technical Working Group has come up some guidelines
for screening, diagnosis and management of diabetic
retinopathy in Kenya. These guidelines have been
published in this special edition to guide eye care workers
in Kenya and the whole Eastern, Central and Southern
Africa (ECSA) region on how the recent advances in
the management of DR can be adopted in the region.
More research needs to be done regionally to establish
what works and what does not work in our situation.
This edition also features two more original papers on
the some of the ways researchers in the region are trying
to improve the screening and management of diabetic
retinopathy. With this we envision a renewed interest in
research of innovative ways of tackling DR in the region.