Abstract Background Glycemic Control and its most common complication Diabetic retinopathy are a leading cause of visual impairment among diabetic patients which has a significant effect on patients’ quality of life. Aim This study aims to determine the impact of poor glycemic control (HbA1c) in preoperative tests and how it will affect the surgical outcome for advanced diabetic retinopathy. Methods A retrospective case series study was employed at King Abdullah Medical City, Makkah. Analyzing 91 patients who underwent surgical treatment for advanced diabetic retinopathy from January 1, 2021, to 31 December 2021. Data were collected using the Track Care system, targeting patients whose preoperative level of glycemic control (HbA1c) was uncontrolled. Results The final outcome determined that preoperative vision was poor in 18 patients with controlled HbA1c (≤7), and 52 patients (57%) had uncontrolled HbA1c (>7%). Compared with postoperative vision, it was poor in 20 patients with controlled HbA1c and 49 with uncontrolled HbA1c, and good in only 4 patients with controlled HbA1c and 18 with uncontrolled HbA1c (p>0.05). The average level of poorly controlled HbA1c in preoperative tests reaches 8.13 in our referred patients. Conclusion This study concluded that the elevated HbA1c levels were associated with poor perioperative outcomes in diabetic patients undergoing surgical management for advanced retinopathy, highlighting the importance of optimizing glycemic control prior to surgery.
Algethami et al. (Mon,) studied this question.