2023-05-01 14:51:46
The test is offered as a second alternative to the comprehensive examination by the ophthalmologists, for patients who avoid performing the test due to the need for pupil dilation
Haifa Radio System
15:48 – 01/05/23
Maccabi Health Services offers diabetes patients a test to detect damage to the retina without the need for pupil dilation, for patients who refuse to go for a comprehensive test.
The fundus examination is one of the routine examinations for diabetic patients, and its purpose is early detection of ‘diabetic retinopathy’, meaning damage to the retina as a result of diabetes. Diabetic damage is often manifested in blood vessel damage, bleeding, edema and abnormal growth of new blood vessels. The purpose of the test is early detection of diabetic changes of this type, in order to allow early treatment, which can prevent deterioration of vision or even blindness.
‘Diabetic retinopathy’ is the leading cause of blindness in the working-age population in the Western world, explains Maccabi. It is of utmost importance for early detection in cases of diabetic damage to the retina, when the damage is still reversible and treatment is possible. According to the data of the health insurance fund, up to 40% of diabetic patients suffer from some damage of retinopathy, about 8% of them suffer from eye damage that threatens the functions of vision.
Delay in the arrival of the patient for treatment is one of the significant factors in any case of vision loss from diabetic retinopathy. At Maccabi, we believe that most cases of moderate and severe vision loss can be prevented, by providing proper treatment in the early stages of the disease while it is asymptomatic, when there has not yet been a visual impairment. The blood test is recommended once every two years for diabetics diagnosed up to ten years after the disease was diagnosed and once a year for diabetics over ten years old.
The Maccabi Health Fund emphasizes that the overall recommendation is to perform a full examination by an ophthalmologist, but for people who avoid it due to the need to dilate the pupils using drops – this is a situation that seriously endangers them, and for this reason it offers them an examination using a unique technology, which does not require dilation of the pupils.
This is a camera that allows taking a photo of most of the retina, while continuing the daily routine without side effects. This solution has proven itself and attracts more patients for whom it is very important to undergo the test.
The test itself is carried out by a short photograph lasting a few minutes, without the need for dilation of the pupils, when the interpretation is carried out by a retinal specialist within two weeks. If it turns out that the test is not normal, the patient will be referred to complete the test at an ophthalmologist, or to a retina clinic.
Dr. Elvira Gur Lautman, the district ophthalmologist of Maccabi Health Services in the North: “Early detection is of the utmost importance in cases of diabetic retinal damage, when the damage is still reversible and treatment is possible. Come get checked, it is possible to treat and save your vision even if you have diabetes.”
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