CIS Diabetes

Diabetes is a common condition in the UK today affecting more than 2 million people across the country with at least one million people believed to have diabetes without realising it. The incidence in diabetic retinopathy is rising in the UK at an alarming rate but this sight threatening disease can be treated if discovered at an early stage. The long term financial cost for treating blindness and, more importantly, the improvement of patients’ quality of life are key factors which have been taken into consideration by healthcare managers across the country.

Through consultation with professional bodies and medical experts the National Screening Committee for diabetes has developed a screening programme designed to both diagnose and treat this condition thus reducing the growth of the disease and subsequently improving the health and wellbeing of the affected patients.

The National Screening Committee for Diabetes has embarked on a progressive initiative to ensure 100% of patients with diabetes are invited for screening for diabetic retinopathy once per year through the deployment of regional screening programmes across the country. The core elements of the NSC Diabetic Retinal Screening Service (DRSS) are:

• Identification of people with diabetes through general practice;
• Screen all of those identified at least once per year;
• Patients invited for screening either by fixed or open schedule;
• Attendance at clinic/mobile service/optometrist for digital retinal imaging;
• Structured grading of images for diabetic retinopathy (with inclusion of other findings) at screening location/grading centre;
• Referral to hospital eye clinic if any evidence of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy;
• Admission to hospital for treatment or annual recall for screening

To meet this requirement CIS Diabetes has developed the market leading solution Orion DRSS to meet, and indeed exceed, the requirements for management of diabetic retinopathy screening programmes.