HSE Press Release
Wednesday, 11 October 2023
Diabetic RetinaScreen has delivered over 800,000 free retinopathy screening tests to people with diabetes since 2013
This World Sight Day (Thursday, 12 October 2023), is the 10th anniversary of the HSE’s Diabetic RetinaScreen programme - the free, national screening programme which helps find and treat serious eye disease in people with diabetes. Over 800,000 free retinopathy screening tests have been carried out in that time with the number of participants doubling since it first began in 2013.
The first person was screened for diabetic retinopathy through the programme in March 2013 with a further 6,000 screens delivered that year. This number has risen to over 113,000 screens in 2022 and the programme is on track to deliver the same level of activity in 2023. Screening for diabetic retinopathy is carried out through a network of over 130 community-based screening locations.
Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes that affects the small blood vessels at the back of the eye, in an area called the retina. It can cause the blood vessels in the retina to leak or become blocked and damage a person’s sight. However, when retinopathy is caught early, treatment is effective at reducing or preventing damage to the sight.
Professor David Keegan, Diabetic RetinaScreen Clinical Director, said: “We screen over 100,000 people each year, and refer over 7,000 people to one of our treatment clinics for further tests or treatment. Through screening, we can help detect possible problems with people’s eyes and treat them with the aim of reducing or preventing damage to their sight. On World Sight Day, I would like to thank everyone involved in the programme over the past 10 years - screeners, screening providers, hospitals, GPs, diabetes nurses, ophthalmologists, optometrists, obstetricians, endocrinologists and our team that runs the programme. I would particularly like to thank the thousands of people with diabetes who make it their business to choose to come for screening every year.”
Diabetic RetinaScreen Programme Manager Helen Kavanagh said: “Over the past ten years, the diabetic retina screening programme has grown and developed so that we can provide the best possible screening service. We have introduced a number of new pathways, including digital surveillance eye screening, which provides more frequent monitoring for people whose screening has shown changes due to diabetes in the retina. We have also introduced two-yearly screening for people whose last two consecutive diabetic retinopathy screening tests showed no retinopathy. And earlier this year, we were delighted to launch a new screening initiative for women who have diabetes and become pregnant.”
Ms Kavanagh continued: “A 2023 national survey for Diabetic RetinaScreen found that just under one in four people who have diabetes, or have a spouse or child with diabetes, report that they know very little or nothing about diabetic retinopathy. On World Sight Day, we are encouraging everyone who has diabetes themselves, or who has a family member with diabetes, to find out more about this condition - they can go to our website hse.ie/diabeticretinascreen or talk to their GP or diabetes healthcare professional. We are also running an advertising campaign during October and November to raise awareness of diabetic retinopathy and the importance of screening.”
Gordon Hynes, patient advocate, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 26 years old. Gordon started attending diabetic retina screening after he had a car accident, two years after his diagnosis. The car accident was caused by low blood sugar and Gordon said: “The car accident was the best thing that happened to me. It enabled me to get a team around me. I got a dietician, a nutritionist, diabetic nurses and a specialist.”
Speaking about his experience with the programme, Gordon said; “It’s a comfort to know what stage I’m at in terms of eye care. I have regular eye tests, and over the last six years, there has been no deterioration. It’s great peace of mind. Retina screening tells me that I’m doing well; that I’m controlling my sugar levels. It’s good to have all this help around me, checking what needs to be checked.”
Gordon encourages people with diabetes to attend for screening: “It’s a must-do. You have to know what’s going on. Your eyes could start to deteriorate quicker than they should. You have to be on top of it and you do that through screening.”
The HSE’s Diabetic RetinaScreen programme is marking World Sight Day 2023 by encouraging everyone who has diabetes and is aged over 12 years, to register with Diabetic RetinaScreen either through their GP, or by using the online form.
See hse.ie/diabeticretinascreen or Freephone 1800 45 45 55 for more information.
Last updated on: 11 / 10 / 2023
