Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Challenges

The eye health complication of diabetes, diabetic retinopathy represents a major cause of acquired vision loss in the United States today. Even with considerable effort at public awareness through ongoing public health campaigns as well as published medical and eye care guidelines that promote yearly retinal exams for patients with diabetes, we still have an unacceptably high number of patients who are not screened for diabetic retinopathy according to a report in Current Opinion in Ophthalmology (April 1, 2011). The authors recommend the development of novel methods to improve compliance with retinal screening exams among diabetes patients to preserve eye health and vision. The key to maintaining eye health and vision is early detection, diagnosis and treatment of diabetic retinopathy.