Scotland

Don't turn a blind eye to diabetes, warns roadshow at Alloa: 14 March 2008

Summary: Touring campaign highlights importance of regular eye tests for people with diabetes.

• 55,000 people risk sight loss
• Eye-testing vital for people with diabetes
• Further information

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Don't turn a blind eye to diabetes, warns roadshow at Alloa: 14 March 2008

Summary: Touring campaign highlights importance of regular eye tests for people with diabetes.

Gordon Banks, MP, will help RNIB Scotland and Diabetes UK spread a vital health message on 14 March when he attends a high-profile roadshow in Alloa. The Ochil and South Perthshire MP will meet the touring display when it sets up outside Morrison's supermarket, Clackmannan Road, Alloa on 14 March.

With diabetes projected to reach epidemic proportions in Scotland, the charities have joined forces to raise awareness of the very real danger this poses to people's vision through a series of roadshows.

"I'm very pleased to be able to support this very important campaign," said Mr Banks, "and to commend the work that Diabetes UK and RNIB Scotland are doing to warn people with diabetes of the risks to their sight."

55,000 people risk sight loss

Audrey Birt, director of Diabetes UK Scotland, said: "Around 55,000 people in Scotland risk losing their sight because they are missing out on screening. Research has shown that one in five people with diabetes don't know that loss of sight is a potential complication of their condition. That's why we want to urge people to have their eyes checked regularly."

'Retinopathy', a complication of diabetes that affects the part of the eye known as the retina, is in fact the main cause of sight loss in adults of working age.

It happens when the tiny blood vessels in the eyes start to either leak or become blocked and can lead to either loss of central vision or, at worst, total blindness. After 20 years, all people with Type 1 diabetes will develop some degree of retinopathy as will 60 per cent of those with Type 2.

But Diabetes UK and RNIB Scotland are quick to stress that most sight-threatening diabetic problems can be prevented by straightforward laser treatment - but only if given early enough. That's why regular eye-screening tests, at least once a year, are so important.

Eye-testing vital for people with diabetes

"Sight that's already been lost due to diabetic retinopathy can't be restored," warns John Legg, director of RNIB Scotland, "so the best time to treat it is before the patient begins to experience any sight loss. Eye-screening checks can pick up on these early stages of retinopathy and flag up the need for treatment.

"Annual screening checks should be a standard part of the healthcare package offered to all diabetics. But we know that people can miss appointments or simply forget. We are emphasising that you are putting your vision at serious risk if you don't get your eyes checked."

Around 193,000 people currently have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes in Scotland, a figure increasing by roughly seven per cent a year.

Further information

Learn more about how diabetes affects your sight

or about diabetes and its treatment

Content author: mike.brown@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 08/04/2008 18:38