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SCREENING PROGRAM - PERSONNEL - CONTACTS - FAQ's & PROPOSAL
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Diabetic retinopathy, the disease that damages retinal blood vessels in the eyes of many diabetic patients, is the leading cause of blindness among working age adults in America. Each and every day, about 75 people go blind from it— even though there are effective treatments that can help preserve useful vision. |
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| EExciting News from Capitol Hill! Pending Legislation H.R.3458 See retinopathy screening as covered by WSMV-TV Nashville TN July 10th, 2002. If you would like the Vanderbilt Ophthalmic Imaging Center to provide a proposal for digital retinopathy detection for your practice: Click Here
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Why? Consider the following: · Diabetes is a growing public health problem. The number of new cases of diabetes is increasing rapidly. The number of American diabetics may double in the next two decades, and one of every four children born after 2000 may develop diabetes in their lifetime. · Every diabetic is at risk for the development of diabetic eye disease. The longer a person has diabetes, the greater the danger. · The beginning stages of retinopathy are asymptomatic. Many diabetic patients have 20/20 vision and are unaware of the microscopic changes and damage their retinas have already sustained. · An annual dilated retinal examination is the only way to detect the early and most treatable stages of retinopathy. · Effective treatment slows or stops the advance of retinopathy, but it cannot be applied without determining which patients need it. |
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Despite the recommendations of the American Diabetes Association, the American Academy of Ophthalmology and other organizations, far too few people with diabetes obtain retinal screening examinations. Nationwide, about half of known diabetics receive this care, but screening rates in many urban and rural areas are much lower. In fact, because of disparities in access to care, millions of diabetic patients NEVER RECEIVE SCREENING EXAMINATIONS and pay the ultimate price: permanent blindness. It doesn’t have to be this way. Our Digital Detection of Diabetic Retinopathy program addresses these problems and provides a practical solution. We bridge the gap between recommendation and action.
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