"Diabetes now affects over 4% of the UK population and is the leading cause of blindness in adults of a working age"
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what is diabetic retinopathy
- why screen for diabetic retinopathy
- how to screen for diabetic retinopathy
- your screening programme
Diabetic retinopathy occurs when diabetes damages the tiny blood vessels in the retina which is the light sensitive layer of tissue that lines the inside of the eye and acts rather like the film in a camera. In the early stages most people do not notice any changes in their vision it is when the disease progresses to an advanced stages that these changes start to affect your sight.
For more information on the different stages of diabetic retinopathy click here
12% of people who are registered blind and partially sighted each year have diabetic eye disease making diabetic retinopathy the leading causes of blindness in adults of working age. In the early stages your sight may not be affected. Therefore it is essential to be screened annually to pick up and manage the early changes before they reach a stage where your vision can be damaged.
For more information as to why it is essential to be screened click here
It is a simple process to screen for diabetic retinopathy with the help of some dilating drops digital photographs of the inner lining of your eyes are taken through your pupils. These photos then go through a grading process before a result is decided upon. The results are then sent out to you and your GP in the post.
To see exactly what the screening process entails click here
Medical Imaging provides diabetic retinopathy screening services to 11 PCT’s across the country. Please select your region from the list for further information on your local service.
This website has been created to provide information and awareness about the importance of screening for diabetic retinopathy as part of the basic healthcare of people with diabetes. You will find information that will help you better understand what diabetic retinopathy is and how we screen for diabetic retinopathy in order to help prevent loss of sight by early detection.
Diabetes now affects over 4% of the UK population and is the leading cause of blindness in adults of a working age. Every person in the UK who is over the age of 12 and has diabetes should have access to a FREE, annual, diabetic retinopathy screen using digital photography.
Our company Medical Imaging UK Ltd is the country’s most experienced private provider of Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Services (DRSS). We began screening for diabetic eye disease in the early 1990’s and we have grown since then to provide retinopathy screening to over 100,000 people nationally.
We aim to supply a service that is centred on the patient. We do not discriminate against age, ability, ethnicity or geography, providing accessible and efficient community based clinics. Our screening programmes are delivered to a national scale, specification and standard meeting the criteria laid out in the National Service Framework (NSF) and by the National Screening Committee (NSC).