News

As a part of Diabetes Awareness Week (10-16 July) the Australian Diabetes Council has highlighted the close link between diabetes and eye disease.

Diabetics registered with the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) were invited to book in for a free retinal screening, delivered across a range of Sydney metropolitan locations over the week. In conjunction with the NSW branch of the Optometrists Association of Australia (OAA), optometrists contributed their own time to assess and help explain to people already diagnosed with diabetes how important it is for them to regularly have their eyes checked for diabetes-related eye disease.

Paula Katalinic, a principal optometrist at Centre for Eye Health, was one such optometrist who volunteered for the program. Working from Fairfield RSL on Tuesday, around 150 people turned up during the course of the day for the free retinal imaging.

“We identified a number of serious eye conditions” says Katalinic “but what was most concerning was that many people with diabetes simply do not realise that Medicare will cover dilated eye examinations with an optometrist. Many people are not having their eyes examined as they are unaware of this Medicare rebate”.  

“In one case” says Katalinic “I saw a 43 year old mother of three, who didn’t realise the importance of visiting her optometrist regularly. We identified clinically significant macular oedema in both eyes. She needs ophthalmological care quite urgently.”
 
In another case, a 50-year-old Vietnamese man who had never had an eye examination in his life was assessed. As a recent immigrant, he was under the care of a local GP for diabetes and high blood pressure. Despite having no symptoms, a branch retinal vein occlusion was identified, and he was informed that this condition requires urgent ophthalmological care in order to prevent vision loss.

Says CFEH Director Professor Michael Kalloniatis “We encourage all optometrists to ensure that diabetic patients know of the relevant Medicare rebates available. Only through monitoring and early detection can we prevent vision loss as a result of diabetes-related eye disease”.