The NHS is providing advanced eye scans closer to home for tens
of thousands of people with diabetes which could save up to
120,000 hospital appointments a year and help prevent
life-changing sight loss.
People with diabetes can develop 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.
The rollout of optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans
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.
The move come as part of an NHS England drive to boost
productivity and provide the best patient care while driving
maximum value for taxpayer, with figures showing new initiatives
have helped the NHS save £2 billion in the first five months of
this financial year to be reinvested for patients.
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.
OCT uses light waves to take more than 1,000 images of your 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 don't show up in colour
photography, such as a thickening of the retina.
Mike Cypher, 56, from Cheltenham, was diagnosed with
diabetes in 1980, aged 12 and has regular eye screening, he
said: “It's massively important that everyone offered
diabetic eye screening has access to OCT technology. An OCT scan
showed quite a major bleed in one of my eyes that could have
badly affected my eyesight. I had laser treatment but if I hadn't
attended my routine appointments and had the treatment, my
ophthalmologist told me my eyesight could have been irreparably
damaged within a short space of time. So, if you're offered
screening, don't hesitate to attend your appointment. OCT really
could save your eyesight, as it's done for me.”
Previously under a third of services were offering OCT, and not
equitably in all parts of the country. NHS staff are now being
trained in OCT screening, and all eye care services are expected
to be using the technology by next October.
Ophthalmology is one of the busiest outpatient specialities in
secondary care and makes up almost 10% of the entire waiting
list, with more than 500,000 ophthalmology operations every year
and more than 7.5 million outpatient appointments.
It is estimated that 120,000 hospital ophthalmology appointments
are set to be saved through OCT, once rolled out across the
country, helping ease hospital backlogs and it is expected the
number of hospital appointments saved will continue to
rise.
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.”
