Charities unite to call for action on diabetes related sight loss
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB NI) and Diabetes UK in Northern Ireland, held a conference on diabetic eye disease on Wednesday 12 December 2012, in the Long Gallery, Parliament Buildings Stormont.
Key personnel from the Health and Social Care sector in Northern Ireland, along with MLAs, attended this event which had three key demands on behalf of people with diabetes who are at risk of losing their sight.
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People with diabetes at risk of losing their sight must have increased access to eye health screening.
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People with diabetes who are losing their sight must have timely access to medical treatments which can reduce sight loss.
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The wider public must have access to information which will educate them on the potential impact of diabetes on their sight.
Acting Director of RNIB NI, David Galloway said: "Diabetic retinopathy screening provides a chance of preventing irreversible sight loss and yet many people fail to attend their screening appointments. We have found that often people don't realise how diabetes can lead to serious sight loss. We are calling on the Public Health Agency to both increase access to timely screening and to better inform people of the link between diabetes and sight loss."
The most common diabetes related eye disease is Diabetic Retinopathy, which is damage to the blood vessels of the retina. In its worst form, this can lead to a patient losing their sight completely and is one of the top five causes of sight loss in the UK and Ireland. It is estimated that there are currently over 748,000 people in the UK with background diabetic retinopathy.
Iain Foster, Director of Diabetes UK Northern Ireland added: "Annual retinopathy screening should be available to all people living with diabetes as part of an essential package of care. Diabetes-related eyesight complications are extremely serious and can have devastating effects for those living with the condition. Currently in Northern Ireland, many people are only receiving this vital screening every 18 months and in some cases up to two years and this simply isn't good enough. I would urge the health service to reaffirm its commitment to implement an annual eye screening programme which will help save the sight of thousands of people with diabetes and help reduce the financial costs of diabetes complications."
Key Speakers at the event included:
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Dr Jackie McCaul (Public Health Agency)
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Dr Susan Johnston (Belfast Health and Social Care Trust)
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Claire Burt (Belfast resident living with diabetes related sight loss)
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David Galloway (Acting Director RNIB NI)
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Iain Foster (Director Diabetes UK Northern Ireland)
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Jim Wells (MLA South Down, Chair of the All Party Assembly Group on Visual Impairment)
Contact
For further media enquiries please contact
thomas.quigley@rnib.org.uk
(Communications/PR Officer RNIB NI)
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