Screening for retinopathy is different from a general eye test that checks your vision, determines if you need glasses and assesses general eye health.

Your eye specialist will dilate your pupils (make them bigger) using special drops.

The drops used may sting for a short time and will temporarily blur your vision and make your eyes sensitive to bright light, preventing you from reading and driving for two to four hours. Despite this discomfort and possible inconvenience, it is important to makes sure that the clearest view of your retina is obtained.

After the drops have been applied, a photograph of your retina (the 'seeing' part at the back of your eye) will be taken using a special camera. This will show any changes that need to be monitored or treated and is a permanent record for your diabetes care team, who will use it to compare your results year-on-year.

Take sunglasses with you to your eye screening and don’t drive yourself home.

An annual eye examination could save your sight.

Tip: Keep a record of your eye screening appointments and results. Start by writing the date and time of your next appointment, as in the examples in the table below.
 

Reviewed: March 2011
Next review: September 2012