Eye Screening
What is diabetic eye screening?
- If you are over 11 years old and have diabetes, you should have your eyes checked by a qualified professional on an annual basis to check for diabetic eye disease.
- Since January 2007 all screening has been undertaken using digital photography - this is simply taking photographs of the back of your eyes using a special camera. This does not hurt but the flash is quite bright. You will need to have your pupils dilated before the pictures are taken.
Why should I have it done?
- Untreated diabetic retinopathy is one of the most common causes of blindness in the working-age population.
- Laser treatment is very effective at reducing loss of sight from diabetic retinopathy.
- Diabetic retinopathy does not usually affect your sight until the changes are quite far gone. At this stage, laser treatment is much less effective.
Who is going to provide the service?
- In Dorset, the service will continue to be provided by accredited optometrists in practices across the county. Optometrists are the trained professionals working in the optician practices.
National Screening Committee Information
- Further information on eye screening can be found in the National Screening Committee’s leaflet.