Patient referral flow between physician and ophthalmologist visits for diabetic retinopathy screening among Japanese patients with diabetes: A retrospective cross-sectional cohort study using the National Database.

Less than half of the patients who were prescribed antidiabetic medication by their physicians visited an ophthalmologist. However, most of the patients who visited an ophthalmologist had a fundus examination carried out. A similar tendency was noted for each prefecture. It is essential to reaffirm the necessity of recommending ophthalmologic examinations to physicians and healthcare professionals who care for patients with diabetes.