title: Retinal diseases in a reference center from a Western Amazon capital city.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe retinal diseases found in patients who were waiting for treatment at a tertiary care hospital in Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients underwent slit lamp biomicroscopy, dilated fundus exam and ocular ultrasound. Patients were classified according to phakic status and retinal disease of the most severely affected eye.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 138 patients were examined. The mean age was 51.3 years. Diabetes was present in 35.3% and hypertension in 45.4% of these patients. Cataract was found in 23.2% of patients, in at least one eye. Retinal examination was possible in 129 patients. The main retinal diseases identified were rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (n=23; 17.8%) and diabetic retinopathy (n=32; 24.8%). Out of 40 patients evaluated due to diabetes, 13 (32.5%) had absent or mild forms of diabetic retinopathy and did not need further treatment, only observation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Diabetic retinopathy was the main retinal disease in this population. It is an avoidable cause of blindness and can be remotely evaluated, in its initial stages, by telemedicine strategies. In remote Brazilian areas, telemedicine may be an important tool for retinal diseases diagnosis and follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando Korn
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Malerbi
authors.affiliation: Instituto Israelita de Responsabilidade Social, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nilson Hideo
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Matsudo
authors.affiliation: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adriano Biondi Monteiro
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Carneiro
authors.affiliation: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Claudio Luiz
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lottenberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002386:Cataract / Q000453:epidemiology; D002947:Cities / Q000453:epidemiology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005123:Eye / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000175:diagnosis; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D066167:Slit Lamp; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014463:Ultrasonography