Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy Among Individuals with Diabetes in Gulf Cooperation Council countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Objectives: To determine the proportion of diabetic retinopathy (DR) among individuals with diabetes mellitus in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Methods: This study was executed in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines. Online databases including Scopus, Web of Sciences, PubMed, Index Medicus for the eastern Mediterranean region, Medline, and ProQuest, were utilized to retrieve studies on the prevalence of DR in GCC countries that were conducted from 2003 to 2019. Results: Twenty articles were included in the meta-analysis, involving 61 855 patients. The prevalence of DR was 20.5% (95% CI: 20.212–20.850). The highest prevalence rate was observed in Saudi Arabia (69.8%; 95% CI: 64.989–74.216) and the lowest in the UAE (6.0%; 95% CI: 2.780–11.084). There was a significant heterogeneity between the reviewed studies (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The prevalence of DR was high in the GCC countries. Our findings provide crucial information for the public healthcare systems in these countries to actively educate the public and screen at-risk populations for undiagnosed cases of diabetes, detect early stages of retinopathy, and provide required care to minimize the number of untreated cases.