Concern over screening delay for diabetic retinopathy

PROGRESS HAS stalled on the development of a €4 million HSE national screening programme to identify the sight-threatening condition diabetic retinopathy (DR). One person with diabetes goes blind each week.

Advocacy group Diabetes Action and the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI) claim that, 18 months after the announcement of the DR-screening programme, little progress has been made and patients are now unlikely to be seen until mid-2013.

More than 18,000 people in Ireland are likely to have severe sight-threatening DR, which causes on average one person with diabetes to go blind each week, according to Diabetes Action and the NCBI.

Last summer the Department of Health admitted the screening programme was unlikely to be operational until some point in “late 2012”, but given the lack of progress to date that timeframe now appears unrealistic.

Dr Kevin Moore of the Irish Endocrine Society and chairman of Diabetes Action said that back in 2010, the diabetes community was delighted to see the diabetes retinopathy screening programme in the HSE plan.

“Patients with diabetes are more frightened by the possibility of blindness than of any other complication of diabetes. Sight loss is a preventable complication of diabetes, and we need to get the screening process started as soon as possible in order to prevent more patients unnecessarily developing visual impairment.”

Dr Moore said there were about 190,000 people in Ireland with diabetes, 30,000 of whom were undiagnosed.

“Clinicians want people with diabetes to be offered eye-screening annually to detect DR and to ensure early diagnosis and treatment – it is one of the most important goals for diabetes care in Ireland and will impact on the quality of life for thousands of people living with diabetes.”

NCBI chief executive Des Kenny said the number of people using NCBI services due to DR had doubled since 2003.

“This is a very worrying development, particularly because most sight loss from DR can be prevented.

“It is vital that DR is diagnosed early and the most effective way to do this for a large group, like the diabetic population, is through a national screening programme.”

Diabetic retinopathy causes progressive damage to the blood vessels at the back of the eye as a result of long-term exposure to high blood sugars.