WANDS: Working Age Non-attendance in Diabetic eye Screening

Brief plain language background 

Diabetes is a major public health problem, with 415 million people affected world-wide and estimated to rise by 35% within the next 25 years.  

Diabetic eye disease is one of the most common complications of diabetes that can lead to vision loss, and for which no prevention or cure is available. 

One of these conditions is diabetic retinopathy, which is damage to the retina at the back of the eye. In England, people with diabetes are invited to a screening programme where pictures of the retina are taken to look for any signs of disease. 

What problem/knowledge gap does it help address 

During the screening, eye drops are needed to make the pupils big enough to take pictures with the currently available cameras. These drops can sting and blur vision for up to 6 hours afterwards, so people cannot drive and often cannot work afterwards.  

The working age population (aged 18-64) have the poorest attendance at eye and the highest rate of diabetic-related eye complications yet would benefit the most from attending eye screening regularly. 

Reasons for non-attendance at screening are complex and there is limited knowledge about the impact of eye drops on attendance to screening. 

Newer cameras can take high quality pictures, similar to current cameras but without eye drops in most people.  

Aim of the project 

To investigate whether offering diabetic eye screening without eye drops could improve attendance for working aged people (aged 18-64). 

Potential impact on people with sight loss 

Understanding why working aged people with diabetes do not regularly attend eye screening – such as the effect of the eye drops – could help inform a full-scale trial and contribute towards the evidence required for a national change. Improving the experience of the screening and therefore attendance rates could reduce the risk of preventable sight loss for millions of people with diabetes.