Diabetes: Warning that missing eye test appointments risks sight loss
Diabetes patients have been warned that non-attendance at eye-test appointments puts them at greater risk of developing unnecessary sight loss.
The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) has described the attendance rates at clinics in Northern Ireland as "alarmingly low" .
It said 20% to 40% of patients were not showing up for their appointments on any given day.
Prof Tunde Peto, clinical lead for the NI Diabetic Eye Screening Programme, said the most common of many complications caused by diabetes was diabetic eye disease.
Diabetes can cause cataracts early on but it can also affect the retina at the back of the eye, "which will eventually lead to sight loss if not treated on time," Prof Peto explained.
"Diabetic retinopathy causes no symptoms until it can be just about too late to treat," she said.
Ian Catlin from Ballymoney has experienced sight loss due to diabetic retinopathy.
He has had Type 1 diabetes since childhood and became aware of problems with his eyesight in his mid-30s.
Mr Catlin said he put off asking for medical help because of the fear of what he would be told."I did eventually go, but you're scared and you put your head in the sand," he said.Read full story
Source: BBC News, 15 June 2022