The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
An eye test reveals a lot more than you think
An eye test is about so much more than checking your vision – it’s an important general health check too.
Yet a staggering one in five adults is unaware that, during a sight test, an optician can check for wider health conditions, according to research conducted earlier this year by Specsavers. One such condition is diabetes – so, with Diabetes Awareness Day taking place on 14 November, Specsavers stores across Scotland are reminding people about the importance of regular eye tests.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is an inability to metabolise sugars and carbohydrates in the body due to a lack of the hormone insulin. An estimated 4million people across the UK have been diagnosed with type one or type two diabetes - making it one of the fastest growing health conditions affecting the population today.
Scotland and diabetes
Statistics from Diabetes Scotland (Scottish Diabetes Survey 2016) revealed that, at the end of last year, there were 291,981 people living with diabetes. That figure represents more than 5 per cent of the population.
In the Tayside NHS Board area alone, there were 23,294 people on the register at the end of 2016 while there were 21,389 across Fife. The connection between diabetes and eyes Shockingly, people with diabetes are 25 times more at risk of going blind than those without the condition.
So how does diabetes affect the eyes, and how can an eye test show warning signs?
Put simply, diabetes can damage small blood vessels, including the very fine blood vessels in the retina, the film at the back of the eye.
In diabetics, blood vessel walls can become thinner resulting in blood or fat leaking from them. This leakage causes little red or white spots on your retina which your optician can spot during an eye test.
In the early stages of the disease these red and white spots probably won’t affect your vision. If your diabetes is well controlled some of them will simply disappear. However, if the leakage is near the centre of the retina where your most detailed vision comes from, this could cause a degree of vision loss. That’s where regular visits to your optician come in – because, if early changes near that part of the retina are spotted, you’ll be referred swiftly on for further investigation and treatment. It has even been known for opticians to spot tell-tale signs of diabetes in patients who were unaware they had the condition, showing just how important eye tests can be when it comes to general health and wellbeing.
Early detection
Specsavers divisional chair for Scotland, Jill McArthur, says: ‘As diagnoses continue to escalate year-on-year, early detection of diabetes is essential in both managing the symptoms and preventing more serious, longterm complications - like the eye condition diabetic retinopathy.
‘Regular eye tests form a crucial part of this - particularly when it comes to spotting the initial signs that a customer may have the condition and then supporting and managing the impact it can have on their eye sight.’
As part of every full eye test for patients over 40, Specsavers incorporates digital retinal photography which takes a photograph of the back of the eye – the only part of the body where the microcirculation of blood can be directly observed. It enables opticians to pick up on a range of different indicators that can be signs of diabetes and wider health conditions. From there, they can then refer customers for full medical screenings to ensure an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.
If you have concerns about your vision or think you might have some symptoms of diabetes, call into any Specsavers where you can speak to professionally trained staff for advice or speak to your doctor. Even if you have no symptoms, regular tests are still recommended as opticians can spot signs of some problems before you notice any changes to your vision.
It’s easy to book an eye test at Specsavers – with more than 60 stores across Scotland, simply drop in to your nearest store or visit www.specsavers.com