Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness globally. Yet, many diabetic patients still do not schedule regular diabetic eye exams as requested by their physicians. Referral to an eye doctor for early diagnosis and treatment is the key to preventing vision loss in diabetics. Performing retinal screening examinations on all diabetic patients is an unmet need, and leads to many undiagnosed and untreated cases of DR. Recently researcher-clinicians reported their work to develop an artificial intelligence automated algorithm for retinal photographs that would help with referral from primary care physicians to ophthalmologists of eyes with DR for further evaluation and treatment. The study suggests that this method of screening would aid in reducing the rate of vision loss, enabling timely and accurate diagnoses.
If you or someone you know is diabetic please be sure to have regular eye exams as diabetic retinopathy is manageable and vision loss preventable with early detection, diagnosis and treatment. Please call your local optometrist to schedule an appointment. If specialty care, treatment or cataract surgery is required, please ask to be referred to one of the physicians at Eyecare Medical Group, 53 Sewall Street, Portland, Maine 04102 at 888-374-2020, or visit Eyecare Medical Group, Google+ or facebook.com/eyecaremedicalgroup.
