Diabetic Eye Screening: What To Do
Photographs of the retina taken to detect changes caused by diabetes before vision is affected.
Last revised
Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of preventable sight loss, and it causes no symptoms until it is advanced.
Key takeaways
- Offered to: everyone with diabetes from age 12
- Interval: usually annually
- Most useful single change: Attend every invitation, even with perfect vision.
- Commonest mistake: Skipping screening because your sight seems fine.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to get help" below apply to you.
Do
- Attend every invitation, even with perfect vision
- Arrange transport home, since the drops blur vision for hours
- Keep glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol controlled
- Bring your glasses and a list of your medicines
Do not
- Skipping screening because your sight seems fine
- Driving immediately after the drops
- Assuming a normal result means no need to attend next year
The figures behind the list
Each item above follows from these, published in the guidance named at the foot of the page.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Offered to | everyone with diabetes from age 12 |
| Interval | usually annually |
| The test | retinal photographs, usually after dilating drops |
| Driving after the test | not for several hours; drops blur vision |
| Early retinopathy | causes no symptoms |
Where to go next
- Diabetic Eye Screening, Explained Without the Jargon
- Diabetic Eye Screening: The Practical To-Do List
- Diabetic Eye Screening — the reference entry
- Carbohydrates and Blood Glucose: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
- Diabetes Sick Day Rules: What Published Guidance Supports
When to get help
Seek urgent ophthalmology advice for sudden loss of vision, sudden blurring, a curtain or shadow across your vision, a sudden increase in floaters or flashes, or eye pain with redness. These need same-day assessment and should not wait for routine screening.
Where this comes from
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.