The most common complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) is diabetic retinopathy (DR). The control of DR risk factors is essential for the effective prevention of DR. There is currently a lack of research to guide DR-related research in Malaysia. This concept paper aimed to review published studies and propose a conceptual framework (CF) as a guide for future research to determine the prevalence of DR and its risk factors across DM patients. After a review of prior research, this study has presented a CF that takes into account these four key elements: the patient's sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities, complications, and diabetes conditions, namely, the length of the disease and glycaemic control. In the suggested CF, ethnicity was highlighted as a crucial risk factor for DR across lower- to middle-income countries (LMIC) and multiracial countries. In order to guide future studies, scientific guidance is essential. The proposed CF would help future research to conduct scientific research related to DR. Also, the proposed CF was tailored to suit research across LMIC and multiracial countries.
Keywords: Sabah; diabetes mellitus; diabetic retinopathy; risk factors.