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Eye screening.

WackyJacky64

Well-Known Member
Messages
439
Type of diabetes
Prefer not to say
Treatment type
Other
Hi , new here, my husband was diagnosed type 2 last Wednesday and will control with diet and exercise, he has received an appointment for Digital retinal photography, he wants to know if this is the same procedure as our opticians do please .
 
I don't know what your opticians do but for the retinopathy check, drops are put in your eyes (they do sting a bit) to open up your pupils,then several photos are taken of your retina to check for problems with the vessels on the back of your eyes, after the test you're sensitive to strong light for a while as your pupils can't contract so I would recommend some sunglasses
 
The hospital have better equipment than opticians so they can see more of the back of the eye. Had mine done on Wednesday and my cataract will be done within 3 months. It didn't hurt at all.
 
Welcome to the forum, that's a fairly old thread that you've found, but obviously relevant to your question

The procedure is different to anything my optician can provide and as the name suggests, they use a digital camera to photograph the back of the eyes. It involves some drops being placed in the eye to ensure that they dilate fully to allow a clear picture of the back of the eye. They always tell you not to drive for a few hours afterwards. I think I'm right in saying that the main purpose is to spot retinopothy which is one of the side effects of high blood glucose. Retinopothy being where the blood vessels narrow, break and leak. High blood pressure can also cause problems.
You say that your husband will control with diet and exercise, I expect that you will have noted that a lot of diabetics choose to lower their carb intake to help control their blood glucose. If he's going to follow the advise that is currently given by UK medics who may talk about the "eatwell plate", you might like to forget that advise and definitely try low carb.
You might also like to ask for a c-peptide test which will indicate exactly how healthy the pancreas is. If it's not performing too well then it's possible that medication will have to be considered later on. A healthy pancreas would suggest that insulin resistance is the problem, which may still require medication later on, but probably easier to handle so long as you get the diet right.
All the best.
 
WackyJacky64 said:
Hi , new here, my husband was diagnosed type 2 last Wednesday and will control with diet and exercise, he has received an appointment for Digital retinal photography, he wants to know if this is the same procedure as our opticians do please .
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A great reply from essci, can't add anything else to that, only good luck and all the best.
 
He said he isn't going to attend as he feels he was diagnosed too quickly and is really unhappy about it all .

He basically had a really bad day last Wednesday and got very angry at someone and ate lots of rubbish a few weeks prior as we had been on holiday , he felt unwell and went to the doctors who did a urine test said it was a bit of sugar in his water , then they did a finger prick test that said 12.5 and took some blood . Our friend is a GP and we told him what happened who said normally they like you to fast from 10-8 the next day and take a blood test which they didn't do . The next day he went to his mums and took the test again and the blood number was 7.2 . The same evening he had his blood pressure taken and was offered medication for , he said no . Then the next day he was asked to go back for the results which confirmed diabetes and was offered medication for that , he also had his blood pressure taken and it was exactly the same and the nurse said 'oh that's normal' .
Then he got a phone call this Wednesday gone and the doctor told him he is boarder line anaemic his cholesterol is raised and his liver isn't functioning as it should but she isn't concerned about that but she was writing him a prescription out for cholesterol which he refused.
We both feel something is right here and medication and procedures are being given too easily .
 
At times it can feel like you are on a conveyer belt, travelling along being handed your medication. It might pay to have a sit down and relax and do a little research on the web in regard to all the results of the various tests, if you weren't given a printout of the results I would request one. If you disagree with any of the results request the tests are redone for peace of mind and If possible I would make an appointment with your GP to solely sit down and talk about your concerns and work out an individual treatment plan. It may have come as a big shock but unfortunately it is a fact of life. When I was diagnosed I had high BP and high cholesterol as well as being diagnosed as T2. I was immediately put on medication for them all but with dietary changes and help from everyone here I am now medication free and my diabetes is in remission. If possible it would still be a good idea to get your husband to go to his eye screening as his sight is important.
 
had that done at my opticians the other week , I was not allowed to drive untill a few hours later ....painless procedure and nothing to worry about ..yes drops are administered then the pictures taken they are then sent off to a certain hospital in my case was at Mansfield hospital then a few weeks later you receive a letter to inform you of any changes they have found if any....
 


I had it done in April at my opticians , drops in my eyes which made my vision feel like i was seeing through sunglasses , and then the procedure . I didn't need to wear sunglasses afterwards and didn't have blurry vision either . It was definitely the retinal screening because my optician was concerned about something but she said there is nothing and everything was perfect .

I think if its exactly the same test as the opticians do then he has nothing to worry about , and from what i can tell it is the same .

Thank you for your reply
 


thank you for reply , we have a friend who is a GP and we got a copy of my husbands test results , our friend has had a look through them and he said they're not results , the T2 will improve with diet and exercise and his cholesterol is 4.3 and there is another figure which says 5.8 , nothing to worry about . We just think the doctor he saw wanted to earn extra bucks by prescribing statins and BP meds
 
Its great you have a friend who is a GP and yes you are right, diet and exercise can do wonders. Im sure your hubby will have it under control in no time. Keep us informed of his progress.
 
4ratbags said:
Its great you have a friend who is a GP and yes you are right, diet and exercise can do wonders. Im sure your hubby will have it under control in no time. Keep us informed of his progress.
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Yeah it is , and now he has looked over the reports we both feel happy , I'm trying to convince my hubby to go for the retinal screening as i had one done in April and it was painless and my vision wasn't blurry afterwards . But he said he doesn't like the thought of being messed around with .
 
It would be great if you can convince him to go but if you cant its not the end of the world. The main thing at the moment is to focus on his diet and getting his diabetes kicked into remission. Im sure with your help he will get there, it is a long journey but the benefits at the end are priceless.
 

I had a retinal screening done at my opticians in April, drops in my eyes and they did sting at first and it seemed like i was looking through sunglasses , then she did the screening which didn't hurt and i didn't have blurry vision afterwards nor did i have to wear sunglasses .
 
I am supposed to have hospital retinal screening done every 6 months because an optician found I had high pressure in my eyes and I might develop glaucoma. Because the hospital cancelled tests for different reasons it was two years between tests last time.

After being diagnosed with T2 five weeks ago, I saw the practice nurse and she said I would be referred to local hospital for retinal test. I said I was already supposed to be having them at another hospital, but she said I still needed to have these done for diabetes.
I haven't heard from the hospital yet.

As others have said it doesn't hurt, just drops in each eye, then a scan is taken of the back of your eyes.
Vision is a bit darker and blurry for a few hours afterwards.
 
Notice the key word here 'might' its all scaremongering i think
 
Prem51 said:
Maybe, but these are the experts and personally I would rather be safe than sorry.
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Like i mentioned in other posts i had this done at my opticians and i could see prefectly well and just wonder if the NHS use stronger eye drops , but it is the same test for sure i watched a video someone posted on here and it was exactly the same .
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Just thought i would update , my husband didn't have to use the NHS screening he was sent to vision express who did the screening and without drops and everything was clear .
 
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