NHS England has announced the expansion of digital eye screening to identify people with diabetes.
It said that more eye care staff are now being trained in the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT), so that it should be available across the country by October of next year.
Currently, only around a third of services offer OCT, and not equitably in all parts of the country.
It uses light waves to take more than 1,000 images of an eye from the retina to the optic nerve to create a detailed 3D image that gives more accurate results than standard cameras. The scans detect changes to the eye that do not show up in colour photography, such as a thickening of the retina.
This can indicate the presence a condition known as diabetic retinopathy, which is caused by high blood sugar levels damaging the back of the eye (retina). It can cause blindness if left undiagnosed and untreated but regular eye screening appointments can pick up problems early on.
Increase in patient treatments
Around four million people are currently registered with the NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme, and 3.3 million have routine digital screening every one or two years. It is expected around 60,000 people who are already showing signs of eye disease will take part in OCT screening, which is offered to people at higher risk of diabetic retinopathy.
NHS England said the expansion means around 60,000 people with diabetes can receive advanced screening outside a traditional hospital setting, such as some larger GP practices, community hospitals or mobile vans across the country, which will save hundreds of thousands of appointments, freeing up hospital care for people who need it most.
It is estimated that 120,000 hospital ophthalmology appointments are set to be saved through the OCT expansion.
Steve Russell, NHS national director for vaccinations and screening, said: “It’s fantastic news that these advanced eye scans will be available closer to home for thousands of people with diabetes across the country.
“This technology will help us find and treat diabetic eye conditions early, helping minimise and prevent sight loss, and it also means that thousands of appointments in traditional hospital settings could be saved, which is great news for the NHS.”
