Introduction: According to the International Diabetes Federation, the number of adults afflicted by diabetes in the world is estimated to be 366 million in 2011. Prevalence of Diabetic retinopathy (DR) in diabetic patients is estimated to be 12.2% to 18.03%. Diabetic retinopathy is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness in India. The purpose of this study was to assess the current status of awareness by sampling the people who attended outpatient department for Ophthalmology checkups.

Material and methods: This was a population based prospective study conducted on 200 patients attending the ophthalmology outpatient department. All the patients were asked to fill a questionnaire containing details such as duration of diabetes and whether or not they were aware of the ophthalmological risks associated with diabetes mellitus and so on.

Results: 60.5% has had Diabetes for over 5 years and among these 40.49% go for regular eye examinations. 57.14% have been diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy. Among the subjects who have had diabetes for more than 5 years, 66.12% show evidence of diabetic retinopathy. Among 79 subjects who are recently diagnosed cases of diabetes mellitus, 11 cases show diabetic retinopathy the incidence rate being 13.92%.

Conclusion: There is below average awareness of diabetic retinopathy in general population, patients especially the diabetics should be made aware of the ocular risks associated with diabetes and encouraged to undergo regular screening by their family members so as to prevent them from the devastating effects of diabetic retinopathy.