By Steve Martyn, on behalf of West Riding & Craven Diabetic Eye Screening Programme
According to data from Diabetes UK, over 5 million people in the UK will have been diagnosed with diabetes by the end of 2025.
Diabetes is a serious medical condition where the patient’s blood glucose is too high – either because their body does not produce enough insulin to regulate blood glucose, or because the insulin they produce does not work effectively.
High blood glucose together with high blood pressure can damage blood vessels in the body leading to complications including diabetic retinopathy – also called diabetic eye disease.
Healthy retina
The retina is a layer of light-sensitive cells lining the inside of the eye. When light passes through the pupil onto these cells, they capture information and pass it via the optic nerve to the brain which interprets the light as a visual image.
If retinal blood vessels are damaged, retinal cells can no longer effectively capture and transmit information.
If this damage occurs in an area of the retina called the macula, the person may experience loss of their focussed central vision.
This is because the macula has a higher density of retinal cells to provide greater visual detail. When you focus on an object, you are directing light onto the macula section of your retina.
In its early stages, diabetic retinopathy has no symptoms and the individual will believe that there are no issues with their vision.
Retina with damaged blood vessels
In fact, retinopathy can develop significantly before the individual notices any changes. Regular screening is essential to detect and manage any changes before they begin to impact the person’s eyesight.
Diabetic Eye Screening in Kirklees
If a patient registered with a Kirklees GP is diagnosed with diabetes, they are referred to the West Riding & Craven Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (DESP).
The Programme supports around 94,000 patients living in Kirklees, Calderdale, Bradford District and part of North Yorkshire. Currently around 19,300 of our patients who are eligible for screening are registered in Kirklees.
Screening is provided free of charge at these community clinics, by appointment:
Because diabetic eye disease has no symptoms in its early stages, a priority for the DESP is to raise public awareness of the condition and highlight the importance of regular screening.
Across the whole Programme area, 5,849 patients (6.2%) failed to attend screening within the last three years.
In comparison Kirklees has a slightly higher rate of attendance at clinic with 1,028 (5.3%) patients not screening within the last three years.
The programme recently analysed screening results from 133 patients who had been screened at clinic after not attending for over three years. It found that over half of these patients (73) presented with diabetes related damage to the retina.
Seven of these patients were referred urgently to the Hospital Eye Service and four other routine referrals were made to hospital for further tests and treatment.
In the second part of this series we will look at the screening process and what happens when a patient is found to have diabetic eye disease.
If you or your child (aged 12+) is due for screening, call our Patient Engagement Centre on 01422 414700 to book an appointment. Lines are open 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 12 noon on Saturdays.
You can also email enquiries.wrcdesp@nhs.net. Patients wishing to manage their own appointments online can do so via the NHS Patient Portal – visit https://portal.wrcdesp.co.uk to register.
For further information visit Diabetic eye screening: information leaflets – GOV.UK
This article is Part 1 of a three-part paid-for promotional content series
