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NIH suggests new exam schedule for diabetic retinopathy
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Patients with moderate or severe retinal damage should be examined more often than the current recommendation, based on research from about 24,000 eye exams with retinal photography and 30 years of data from about 1,400 people with type 1 diabetes, according to a press release from the National Institutes of Health.
To diagnose diabetic eye disease while it is treatable, experts currently suggest that people with type 1 diabetes get an eye exam at least once a year at 3 to 5 years after diagnosis.
The researchers found that among people with type 1 diabetes and recent blood glucose level near the normal range, those with no detectable retinal damage could be screened every 4 years. Patients will mild retinal damage could be examined every 3 years without increasing the risk of vision loss, researchers found.
Those with moderate or severe retinal damage should be examined more often than the current recommendation: every 6 or 3 months, respectively.
Researchers suggest that this schedule would result in fewer eye exams and earlier detection and treatment to save vision.
Those with type 1 diabetes and poorer blood glucose control are at risk of developing retinal disease sooner, thus, researchers recommend more frequent eye exams for this population, according to the release.
Source: www.nih.gov