Building capacity for diabetic eye screening and management in low-middle income countries: a mixed-methods approach

The main sight-threatening complication of DM is diabetic retinopathy (DR). Early detection through diabetic eye screening (DESPs) is fundamental to reduce the risk of avoidable DR-related blindness or visual impairment.

Since the introduction of systematic DESPs in high-income countries such as the UK, DR is no longer the leading cause of blindness among working age adults. The main aim of this thesis is to enable capacity building for DESPs in LMICs, focusing on two low-resource settings, Vietnam and Bangladesh. <br><br>Identifying gaps in national level DR policies and planning in LMICs is crucial to inform and enact DR policies. A mixed methods approach (quantitative and qualitative analyses) was used to evaluate the feasibility of DESPs in Bangladesh and Vietnam, and enabling capacity building in both settings was key. <br><br>Gaps in DR policy processes and DESP implementation in LMICs exist, especially in low-income countries.