Incidence and Progression of Diabetic Retinopathy in American Indian and Alaska Native Individuals Served by the Indian Health Service, 2015-2019.

Importance: Estimates of diabetic retinopathy (DR) incidence and progression in American Indian and Alaska Native individuals are based on data from before 1992 and may not be informative for strategizing resources and practice patterns.

Objective: To examine incidence and progression of DR in American Indian and Alaska Native individuals.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2019, and included adults with diabetes and no evidence of DR or mild nonproliferative DR (NPDR) in 2015 who were reexamined at least 1 time during the 2016 to 2019 period.

Prevalence of Diabetic Eye Diseases in American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) as Identified by the Indian Health Service's National Teleophthalmology Program Using Ultrawide Field Imaging (UWFI).

Purpose: Estimates of diabetic eye disease in American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) vary over time, region, and methods. This article reports recent prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME) in AI/AN served by the Indian Health Services' (IHS) teleophthalmology program, as identified using ultrawide field imaging (UWFI).

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 2016-2019 clinical data (n = 53,900).

The Indian Health Service Primary Care-Based Teleophthalmology Program for Diabetic Eye Disease Surveillance and Management.

Historically, fewer than half of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) with diabetes received the annual diabetic retinopathy (DR) examination that is considered the minimum standard of care; this rate is similar to that of the general United States (U.S.) population with diabetes.