Table 2 Definitions

Provisional diabetics

New asymptomatic individual with a first fasting blood glucose level ≥110 mg/dl (Accutrend alpha)

Known diabetics

Diagonosis of diabetes made by a medical practitioner, or patient using hypoglycemic medication,either oral or insulin or both medication, either oral or insulin or both.

Newly diagnosed diabetics

Fasting blood glucose level ≥110 mg/dl on two separate days; provisional diabetics were retested at the base hospital by the laboratory method.

Duration of diabetes

Time interval between the date of diagnosis of diabetes (as made by a diabetologist or when the antidiabetic treatment started) and the date of eye examination.

Hypertension

If the systolic BP is ≥140 mm Hg or the diastolic BP is ≥ 90 mm Hg or the patient is on antihypertensive treatment.