How often will I be screened?
Screening is offered to anyone with diabetes aged 12 and over. How often you're screened will depend on your last 2 screening results.
If your last 2 screening results showed any signs of retinopathy, you'll continue to be screened every year or every 6 months. If your last 2 screening tests found no retinopathy, you'll usually only need to be screened every 2 years, rather than every year. For more information, please see visit NHS Inform
Your care team
The Diabetic Eye Screening Service provides clinics at a range of locations across Fife including:
- Diabetes Centre, Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy
- Carnegie Unit, Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline
- Randolph Wemyss Memorial Hospital, Buckhaven
- Adamson Hospital, Cupar
- St Andrews Community Hospital
- Skeith Health Centre, Anstuther
It also provides a late clinic up to 8.00pm every Thursday at Carnegie Unit, Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline.The Appointments Team is based at Cameron Hospital and can be contacted on:01592 226852 or you can email: fife.drsadmin@nhs.scot. An answering machine is in use outside office hours.
Missed appointments
If it is suspected that a patient has defaulted from DES for any reason, the patient or their diabetes professional can make an appointment by calling the DES office at Diabetes Centre on 01592 26852 leaving us a message on the answer phone if necessary.
Preparing for your appointment
- Bring all the glasses and contact lenses you wear, along with lens solution for contact lenses;
- you may be given eye drops to get a good photo so bring sunglasses with you in case the drops make your eyes feel sensitive;
- Remember to think about how you’ll get home after your appointment if you need to have eye drops which can affect your vision.
- You should not drive for a few hours after you have eye drops.
During your screening appointment
Before the screening, a health professional will check your details and explain the test to you. You'll have an opportunity to ask questions. The person doing your test will:
- check all your details with you such as date of birth, address, telephone number;
- test your distance vision – remember to bring distance glasses;
- take photographs of the back of your eyes - the camera does not touch your eyes.
The test usually takes 10 minutes, but can take up to 30 minutes if eye drops are used.
Eye Drops
There are no risks from diabetic eye screening, however, you may be given eye drops to get a good photo and there can be some side effects. If they're used:
- your eyes may sting briefly;
- your eyes may become sensitive to bright light for a short time - you may want to bring sunglasses to wear after the test;
- you can have blurred vision for several hours - you should arrange another way to get home after your appointment as you should not drive for a few hours after you have them.
Test results
You’ll usually get your test results by letter within 4 weeks. If you haven’t had your results within 4 weeks, contact your GP Practice or the Admin office (see contact details above).
Your GP and hospital diabetes clinic also get a copy of your test results.
You will get one of four results:
- No retinopathy found;
- Minor changes are found;
- Changes needing follow-up are found;
- Unclear results (a further appointment will be arranged).
Emergency Eye Referrals
When patients with diabetes report to any diabetes professional that they have an urgent eye problem, such as a very painful eye or sudden loss of vision, the correct procedure is to contact switchboard and ask for the eye doctor on call. That doctor can then advise if the patient needs to be seen at the emergency eye clinic on the same day, or (if the problem does not seem so urgent) if the patient can be seen by their optometrist.
The Diabetic Eye Screening Team should not be notified as the problem is unlikely to be related to diabetic retinopathy.
