The screening session revealed vision related problems in more than 20 per cent of people
Eye experts at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai are stressing the need for regular vision screening, after a public screening session in Dubai on World Diabetes Day revealed that more than 20 per cent of people screened had some type of previously undetected vision problem and required follow up.
To mark World Diabetes Day 2014, Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai supported Dubai Healthcare City’s public health screening campaign to help educate the community about diabetes through consultations and health checks. A team from the hospital provided residents with medical history review, intra-ocular pressure tests, visual acuity checks, and retinal imaging, using state-of-the-art technology.
In the space of a few hours at the event, Moorfields screened 87 people of 19 nationalities, ranging in age from 4 to 73; 46 per cent of those screened were women.
Of the 87 people screened, 18 per cent had a previously undetected vision problem (based on a visual acuity test – near and distance vision); 3 per cent had high intraocular pressures – high pressure in the eye can potentially lead to serious vision problems; and 2 per cent needed further and more detailed examinations by a specialist, after retina problems were discovered.
Speaking about the public screening results, Dr Avinash Gurbaxani, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, said, “We know that vision-related problems are some of the most common and serious complications of diabetes and prevention starts with regular eye examinations. As we can see from this latest experience, it is not uncommon to reveal vision problems during public screening events – in this case, some 23 per cent of people had some kind of problem which had not previously been detected and had no symptoms; this is why screening is so important and why we strongly advise the community to have regular eye checks. Regular screening should begin from an early age, regardless of whether there are vision symptoms or not.”
