Diabetes affects 415 million individuals in the world and this number is set to increase to 642 million by 2030. Of these approximately 27% of patients will have signs of diabetic retinopathy- and of these approximately 1/3 will be subject to visual impairment if left untreated. Most individuals with diabetes with time, will have some form of diabetic eye changes.
Diabetic eye disease or otherwise known as Diabetic retinopathy may be in the form of mild ,moderate severe non proliferative disease or proliferative disease and/ or with diabetic macular oedema (fluid in the macular). These may be picked up by diabetic retinopathy screening programs – of which patients attend annual screening when they have been diagnosed with diabetes. Moderate / severe or proliferative diseases and / or diabetic macular oedema findings will be referred further on to the hospital eye services.
There are treatments available for the proliferative stages of diabetic retinopathy- namely laser and/ or antivegf injections. clinical trials have also shown superior response to treatment with antivegf or eye injections. Systemically good diabetes/ hypertensive and cholesterol control may assist in the long term control of diabetic eye disease.
It is important for diabetic patients to get their eyes screened regularly .
Ms Sharon Heng is a consultant ophthalmic surgeon from Moorfields Eye Surgeon and a medical retina and cataract specialist. she leads the medical retina digital clinic within the medical retina service in Moorfields Eye Hospital and is the lead for diabetic retinopathy screening in Ealing , Northwest London diabetic retinopathy screening program. She was involved in developing teaching and training courses
for diabetic eye disease for ophthalmologists in China. Ms Heng is now accepting patients into her private practice at Moorfields Private.
