TY - JOUR
T1 - Methods of assessment of diabetic retinopathy in low- and middle-income countries
T2 - a protocol for scoping review
AU - Kousha, Obaid
AU - Gil, Luis Cunha
AU - Panggalo, Idayani
AU - Blaikie, Andrew
AU - Ellis, John
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group.
PY - 2025/7/1
Y1 - 2025/7/1
N2 - Introduction Globally, over a hundred million people are estimated to suffer from diabetic retinopathy (DR), which is a major complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). The prevalence of DM is projected to increase from the current 537 million by almost 50%, to 783 million by 2045. As a result, DR is one of the fastest rising causes of preventable blindness. Three out of four people suffering from DM live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where resources for both diagnosis and treatment are lacking. There has been a reduction in the rate of blindness from DR in high-income countries, while an opposite trend has been noted in LMICs, contributing to this massive morbidity burden. This scoping review aims to ascertain the methods used to assess DR in LMICs. Methods and analysis The scoping review will adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines and the Arksey and O'Malley (2005) methodology framework. A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature will be carried out for all papers up to 15 May 2025 by identifying studies from electronic databases, including Embase, Medline and CENTRAL (Cochrane Library). A hand search of the associated reference lists of included studies and grey literature will also be conducted. The identified studies will be screened based on agreed eligibility (inclusion/exclusion) criteria by two independent reviewers, with any disagreements resolved via arbitration from a third reviewer. The data will be thematically summarised according to different aspects of DR assessment methods, and key findings will be elicited. The key findings will provide a comprehensive and clear understanding of the assessment methods used to identify DR in LMICs. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was not sought for this work as only publicly available information is used. The results will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication, conference presentations and meetings with stakeholders.
AB - Introduction Globally, over a hundred million people are estimated to suffer from diabetic retinopathy (DR), which is a major complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). The prevalence of DM is projected to increase from the current 537 million by almost 50%, to 783 million by 2045. As a result, DR is one of the fastest rising causes of preventable blindness. Three out of four people suffering from DM live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where resources for both diagnosis and treatment are lacking. There has been a reduction in the rate of blindness from DR in high-income countries, while an opposite trend has been noted in LMICs, contributing to this massive morbidity burden. This scoping review aims to ascertain the methods used to assess DR in LMICs. Methods and analysis The scoping review will adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines and the Arksey and O'Malley (2005) methodology framework. A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature will be carried out for all papers up to 15 May 2025 by identifying studies from electronic databases, including Embase, Medline and CENTRAL (Cochrane Library). A hand search of the associated reference lists of included studies and grey literature will also be conducted. The identified studies will be screened based on agreed eligibility (inclusion/exclusion) criteria by two independent reviewers, with any disagreements resolved via arbitration from a third reviewer. The data will be thematically summarised according to different aspects of DR assessment methods, and key findings will be elicited. The key findings will provide a comprehensive and clear understanding of the assessment methods used to identify DR in LMICs. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was not sought for this work as only publicly available information is used. The results will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication, conference presentations and meetings with stakeholders.
KW - Diabetic retinopathy
KW - Mass Screening
KW - OPHTHALMOLOGY
KW - PUBLIC HEALTH
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105010291414
U2 - 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-095892
DO - 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-095892
M3 - Article
C2 - 40592749
AN - SCOPUS:105010291414
SN - 2044-6055
VL - 15
JO - BMJ Open
JF - BMJ Open
IS - 7
M1 - e095892
ER -
