• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Confused About Diabetic Eye Screening & Opticians

jenner68

Active Member
Messages
29
Location
Northampton
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I went for my first diabetic eye screening at hospital yesterday and the nurse told me that since I have been diagnosed with diabetes I need to go to normal opticians and get my eyes checked. I said I only went January 2017 but she said I need to get my eyes checked once a year.

I went to the opticians and they said that diabetics need to be checked every 2 years but they made me an appointment anyway. I went to my appointment today and then they said that as I was checked less than two years ago I don't need to be tested and if they did they would charge me for it. I'm confused. Who is in charge the NHS or the opticians?
 
Good question and one I am not sure of TBH, as I am not familiar with how health authorities work in all areas.

Where I am, I get a letter from the Health Authority saying I need to get my eyes checked and with this comes a list of opticians that I can book an appointment with.

This happen yearly and so far I have not had to pay as it is sorted between the two groups.

Others should be along in a bit and maybe able to give more advice.
 
You should have Retinopathy Screening every year, free by the NHS.
You should have an eye test at the opticians every two years. Whether this is free for those in employment and who have Diabetes I'm not sure but my optician told me that if I had changes wrt eyesight that he would be happy to see me or refer me up to the hospital.
 

I believe the confusion is because the NHS will now only pay for eye sight tests for diabetics once every 2 years. It used to be annually. If the optician thinks you have a particular problem then he can authorise an annual test, otherwise it is 2 yearly. This is what my optician told me.
 
Last time I went to the opticians I had a similar story to @Bluetit1802 .
I was told the recommendation is now every two years for someone with diabetes. However, if I felt there had been a significant change, I could go more often.
I think the recommendation used to be annually but in the world of reduced budgets, this has been reduced.

And, as @Guzzler mentioned, the retinal scan should be every year.
In my area, this is not done by the optician: there is a mobile service which visits my surgery and I get invited for a test there
 
And I was told it's not a good idea to go to the opticians soon after diagnosis. That you should wait until your numbers come down because high glucose can make your eyes seem worse. This can settle down and saves you buying unnecessary glasses.
 
xfieldok said:
And I was told it's not a good idea to go to the opticians soon after diagnosis. That you should wait until your numbers come down because high glucose can make your eyes seem worse. This can settle down and saves you buying unnecessary glasses.
Click to expand...
I think that the nurse said something like that yesterday. I might wait to see my results from the retinal scan first.
 
The two types of test are completely different. The retinopathy scan is concerned with your retina, as the name suggests, at the back of your eye. The optician tests your eyesight which is mainly determined by the lens at the front of your eye. Do not panic if the scan reveals background retinopathy, this is common and not serious if it doesn't get worse. It will probably go away with time if you control your bg. As @xfieldok says do not be in a hurry to get new glasses as your eyesight will change as your bg stabilises, it may even improve.
 
I had my retinopathy scan in November last year and got a opticians appointment in April free of charge and they had been sending reminders for months to go and get checked for free but I’m in Scotland so maybe different
 
bigjim19 said:
I had my retinopathy scan in November last year and got a opticians appointment in April free of charge and they had been sending reminders for months to go and get checked for free but I’m in Scotland so maybe different
Click to expand...
Yes, rules regarding free eye tests vary between countries of the UK.

In Scotland, you can have a free eye examination once a year if you:
  • are under 16
  • are 60 or over
  • have ocular hypertension or diabetes
  • have glaucoma, or
  • are 40 or over and your mother, father, brother, sister, son or daughter has glaucoma.
In England it's generally every 2 years for people with diabetes unless an optician recommends it more frequently.
https://www.aop.org.uk/advice-and-s...-eye-sight-test-eligibility-and-voucher-guide
 
Accordingto the current NICE guidelines

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng28/ifp/chapter/eye-damage

Your eyes should be checked at or around the time you are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and, if everything seems fine, at least once a year from then on. If there are signs that damage may be developing, you will be offered another check or may be referred to an eye specialist at a hospital.
 

I assume this is referring to the annual retinal screening as opposed to normal eye sight tests.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…