AIM: To investigate the annual eye examination of diabetic patients in Shenyang and analyze the associated factors by using the Chinese version of the Compliance with Annual Diabetic Eye Exam Survey(CADEES)questionnaire.

METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study. The diabetic patients who first visited Shenyang He Eye Specialist Hospital from November 2021 to October 2022 were collected. The Chinese version of the CADEES questionnaire was used to investigate the previous annual eye examinations of these patients, and no fundus examination in the past 1a was defined as poor participation. Factors associated with poor participation in annual eye examinations were identified by multivariate binary logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS: A total of 468 patients were collected, including 192 males and 276 females, with an average age of 67.42±10.66 years. There were 330 patients without diabetic retinopathy(DR)and 138 patients with DR, among which 88 patients had vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy(VTDR)and 50 patients had non-vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy(NVTDR). 34.2%(160 cases)of patients had poor annual eye examination. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that, after controlling gender, age and other influencing factors, patients in rural area(OR=1.704, 95%CI: 1.019～2.850, P=0.042), VTDR(OR=1.948, 95%CI: 1.145～3.313, P=0.014), the item 7(I have felt blue, downhearted, or depressed over the past 4wk; OR=0.624, 95%CI: 0.401～0.971, P=0.037)and item 42(I receive a reminder from my eye doctor's office when it is time to schedule an exam; OR=0.618, 95%CI: 0.387～0.989, P=0.045)of CADEES questionnaire were risk factors for poor participation in the annual ophthalmic examination.

CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one-third of diabetic patients in the Shenyang region may not follow the guidelines for DR annual eye examination. Healthcare providers should improve DR health education, increasing eye exam participation through necessary reminders.