AIM: To determine the pattern of eye diseases in registered patients of the diabetic clinic of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, and to make recommendations on strategies for the prevention of visual impairment and blindness. METHOD: Descriptive cross-sectional study of registered diabetic patients in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital over one year period (June 2012 to May 2013 ). Systematic sampling was done to ensure proper randomization of patients that fulfilled the study criteria. RESULTS: Of the 390 patients examined, 166 (42.6%) were males and 224 (57.4%) females, (M:F ratio = 1:1.35). Mean age was 54.81 + 12.21 years. Seventy four (18.97%) patients had type I disease, while 316 (81.03%) patients had type II disease. The mean presenting Fasting Blood Sugar was 9.52 mmol/L + SD 4.22 with a wide range of 3.4-24.8 mmol/L. Four patients were bilaterally blind, while 10 were unilateral from cataract and glaucoma. Myopia and myopic astigmatism were the most observed refractive errors, though not statistically associated with high Fasting Blood Sugar (א2=1.00 p=0.3165). Chronic blepharitis was the main lid finding and found to be related to high Fasting Blood Sugar (א2=38.68 p= <0.000001). Ocular surface findings included pterygia (3.85%), pinguecula (2.56%) dry eyes (2.31%) and combination of 1 these. Bilateral rubeosis and iris atrophy was found in 8 (2.1%) and 6 (1.5%) patients respectively. Lens opacities varied in location and visual xii significance. Posterior subcapsular cataract was the second predominant type of cataracts observed, and was associated with disease duration >10 years (א2=11.48, p=0.0007039). Glaucomatous optic atrophy was confirmed in 48 (12.3%) patients. These included primary open angle glaucoma in 40 patients, glaucoma in aphakia in 6 patients and neovascular glaucoma in 2 patients. Primary open angle glaucoma was statistically correlated with disease duration greater than 10 years (א2= 7.28, p= 0.0069679), though age as a cofounding factor has not been taken into consideration. Ninety four (24.1%) patients had various stages of diabetic retinopathy. The association between proliferative diabetic retinopathy and disease duration >10years was not strongly proven in this study (Fisher’s exact test=0.115, א2=2.967 p= 0.0849607) most likely due to the small number of cases. CONCLUSION: Diabetic retinopathy and other eye disorders in diabetic patients could be clinically significant and yet unreported by the patient. These may cause blindness and low vision similar to non-diabetic population. A comprehensive screening protocol should include diabetic retinopathy as well as other eye disorders in the study location.