This will not pick up every single case of diabetes-related eye disease, but will pick up the great majority of cases – as with all other screening programmes.

Each year we discover sight-threatening eye disease in 150-200 local people and arrange for treatment, with the aim of preventing deterioration in vision.

The eye screening programme aims to pick up eye damage at a stage when treatment has the best chance of working. If it is given at the right stage, laser treatment is effective at reducing loss of sight due to diabetes. Treatment is often needed well before the diabetes has had any effect on vision. Diabetes does not usually affect your eyesight until the changes are quite far gone. This is why screening is important.

Good control of your diabetes and of your blood pressure reduce the risk of developing eye disease due to diabetes.

Our diabetes eye screening service is part of the national Screening Programme for Diabetic Retinopathy.

Diabetes eye screening is designed to pick up diabetes-related problems, but is not designed to examine for other eye disorders. It is a supplement to an annual visit to your optometrist, and not a replacement for that.

Who should have diabetes eye screening?

Anyone with diabetes aged between 12 and 112 should have their eyes screened for diabetes-related eye disease once a year. Screening is done more often during pregnancy.

For more information visit ‘eye screening for people with diabetes – the facts’.