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

Review: Screening Intervals for Diabetic Retinopathy and Implications for Care

B

Biggles2

Well-Known Member
Messages
324
This September 2017 review by Dr. Peter Scanlon on DR screening intervals. It explores the feasibility of screening certain low risk groups every 2 years instead of annually:
Screening Intervals for Diabetic Retinopathy and Implications for Care
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5585285/pdf/11892_2017_Article_928.pdf
Dr. Scanlon's review is thorough and balanced and is worth a read. It is balanced in that it looks at potential cost savings as well as the potential unintended consequences of lengthening the screening interval to 2 years in low-risk patients:
"There is an on-going concern that if patients are told that they are at the low risk of progression that:
  1. They may make less effort in the control of their diabetes and hence put themselves at a greater risk.
  2. They may be less likely to attend in the future."
 
My eyesight is far too important to me to risk not seeing an optician for 24 months.
 
DR screening? why my doctor never mention one at all:banghead:? Do i need them annually?
 
leking said:
My eyesight is far too important to me to risk not seeing an optician for 24 months.
Click to expand...

Agreed. However, as the Clinical Director for the English NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme, anything written by Dr. Scanlon is of great interest and relevance to those of us with diabetes:
https://www.ndcn.ox.ac.uk/team/peter-scanlon

“Dr Peter Scanlon has been Clinical Director for the English NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme since 2003, and he has, with the support and co-operation of colleagues, moved screening from limited ad hoc delivery of services to systematic quality assured processes for screening, assessment and treatment across all of England to 2.3 million people with diabetes.”​

The following is from the 'conclusions' section of the review:
Hence, the UK National Screening Committee has recommended a change from 1- to 2-year screening intervals for people who have two successive diabetic eye screening appointments with photographic grading of no DR.​
 
leking said:
My eyesight is far too important to me to risk not seeing an optician for 24 months.
Click to expand...
The recommendation doesn't say anything about the frequency of optician checks - it relates to the frequency of the specific screening test for diabetic retinopathy. Although in some areas of the country opticians are given additional training in order to be able to do the diabetic eye screening tests at the same time as a normal optician check-up, in most areas screening tests and optician checks are separate.
 
Dark Horse said:
The recommendation doesn't say anything about the frequency of optician checks - it relates to the frequency of the specific screening test for diabetic retinopathy. Although in some areas of the country opticians are given additional training in order to be able to do the diabetic eye screening tests at the same time as a normal optician check-up, in most areas screening tests and optician checks are separate.
Click to expand...
Yep, I meant visiting my optician's for my screening test. I thought most people combined them, apologies!
 
Back
Top