StemCell Therapy

Professor Mark Gillies with a patient.

Co-author and ophthalmologistProfessor Mark Gilliesfrom the University of SydneyFaculty of Medicine and HealthandSave Sight Institutesaid the findings reinforced the need for more education.

Ninety-eight percent of serious vision loss from diabetes can be prevented with regular eye examinations and early treatment, said Professor Gillies.

I encourage people to use services like KeepSight to keep on top of their appointments. Its also important they understand the kind of eye check required, as only eye checks that include dilation of the pupil with eye drops (fundus dilation) is appropriate to detect changes in the eye-related to diabetes.

Diabetes AustraliasKeepSight program, which commenced just over 12 months ago, is helping to ensure that the proportion of people with diabetes accessing eye checks increases in coming years and ultimately, every person with diabetes get the necessary eye checks and this helps prevent vision loss and blindness.

KeepSight is an online eye check reminder program easily accessed from a mobile phone.

Diabetes Australia CEO Professor Greg Johnson said KeepSight has enrolled 100,000 people since it started last year.

Having 100,000 Australians with diabetes registered with KeepSight is an important milestone for the program but there are currently over 1.36 million Australians living with diabetes so we are encouraging every person with diabetes, and all health professionals, to register with KeepSight, said Professor Johnson.

Keep Sight provides electronic alerts and reminders to help people with diabetes remember their diabetes eye checks. When its time for a diabetes eye check you get a reminder. Its that simple. KeepSight can also help you find an optometrist if you dont know one.

The KeepSight program, which is run by Diabetes Australia in partnership with Vision 2020 Australia, Centre for Eye Research Australia and Oculo, has been co-funded by the Australian Government, Specsavers, Bayer, Novartis and Mylan. The program has widespread support from leading diabetes and eye health groups including the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists, Orthoptics Australia, Optometry Australia, the Australian Diabetes Society and the Australian Diabetes Educators Association.

The University of Sydney-led research is part of a series of population-based record linkage projects using the NSW 45and Up study to evaluate the uptake and long-termhealth impact of government-funded services and programs implemented to support care and reduce complications in people with diabetes.

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Living with diabetes Get your eyes checked - News - The University of Sydney

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