The Ophthalmic team at Warrington is delighted to share the news of a brand new diagnostic test which will revolutionise the way patients with serious eye conditions, including diabetic retinopathy are managed. 

Warrington and Halton NHS Foundation Trust was the first in the country to purchase this state of the art diagnostic machine, worth over £200,000. It will primarily be used to monitor patients with diabetic eye disease, but there are many other ophthalmic conditions it will be used to detect. 

Diabetic retinopathy - a complication of diabetes where blood vessels in the eye are damaged - does not tend to cause any symptoms in the early stages, but without prompt treatment can cause permanent blindness. Screening can detect problems before it affects vision, and OPTOS allows this scan to be undertaken quickly and easily, and with minimal time spent in hospital – something essential during COVID and one of the driving forces behind purchasing the machine. 

The prevalence of diabetes-related eye disease is 40% in the diabetic population and it is estimated that the number of people with diabetes will rise to 4 million in UK by 2025 - this, together with increasing life expectancy, poses daunting prospects on the current diabetic eye service. It is vitally important these patients are monitored. 

The Ophthalmic team at Warrington is delighted to share the news of a brand new diagnostic test which will revolutionise the way patients with serious eye conditions, including diabetic retinopathy are managed. 
Warrington and Halton NHS Foundation Trust was the first in the country to purchase this state of the art diagnostic machine, worth over £200,000. It will primarily be used to monitor patients with diabetic eye disease, but there are many other ophthalmic conditions it will be used to detect. 

Diabetic retinopathy - a complication of diabetes where blood vessels in the eye are damaged - does not tend to cause any symptoms in the early stages, but without prompt treatment can cause permanent blindness. Screening can detect problems before it affects vision, and OPTOS allows this scan to be undertaken quickly and easily, and with minimal time spent in hospital – something essential during COVID and one of the driving forces behind purchasing the machine. 

The prevalence of diabetes-related eye disease is 40% in the diabetic population and it is estimated that the number of people with diabetes will rise to 4 million in UK by 2025 - this, together with increasing life expectancy, poses daunting prospects on the current diabetic eye service. It is vitally important these patients are monitored.