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Diabetic Retinopathy

What is Diabetic Retinopathy?

Diabetic retinopathy can affect anyone who has diabetes, whether they are being treated with insulin, tablets or diet only. Generally retinopathy has no obvious symptoms until it is well advanced. This is why annual eye examinations are so important for everyone with diabetes. Early detection is the key to successful treatment.

Treatment

It is most important to examine the back of the eyes (retinae) thoroughly for patients with diabetes. It is therefore usual to dilate the pupils with eyedrops so that the best view of the back of the eye is obtained. This is done with a hand held ophthalmoscope, a slit lamp microscope and in many cases Digital Retinal Imaging.

For many patients registered with GP’s in Greater Manchester, Chorley and Preston, there is no additional charge for the imaging service when part of an NHS Diabetic Screening Programme.

We are one of the few optometric practices in the North that uses Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) which can help to diagnose diabetic retinopathy at the earliest possible stage.