The UK's National Health Service (NHS) will expand the use of advanced eye scans beyond the hospital for diabetes patients to help curb sight loss.
The rollout of optical coherence tomography (OCT), a type of non-invasive imaging test that creates more detailed pictures of the retina than other approaches, will mean diabetes patients can receive screening in locations “closer to home.”
Diabetes patients’ retinas are particularly at risk of damage from high blood sugar levels. The complication, called diabetic retinopathy, can cause blindness if left undiagnosed and untreated, though regular eye screening appointments can pick it up early.
Katie Bareford, senior clinical adviser at Diabetes UK said in a statement: “The OCT scan gives more accurate results which will help your diabetes team to decide whether you need to be referred to a hospital eye clinic or not. This is important because it means that people with diabetes who have eye problems detected by an OCT scan be treated more quickly."
According to the NHS, around four million people are registered with the Diabetic Eye Screening Programme, which uses a variety of tests conducted in the hospital. OCT screening is offered to people at higher risk of diabetic retinopathy with the test being offered by under a third of health services.
The NHS expects that around 60,000 people who are already showing signs of eye disease will take part in OCT screening, which will be offered in larger GP practices, community hospitals and mobile vans. The service said the rollout, which will finish by October 2025, could save up to 120,000 hospital appointments and help more patients avoid sight loss.
Mike Cypher, a patient who was diagnosed with diabetes aged 12, has been undergoing regular screenings and says the move to increase equitable access is important.
“An OCT scan showed quite a major bleed in one of my eyes that could have badly affected my eyesight.”
Mr Cypher had laser treatment to treat the issue but says that without a routine appointment, the outcome would have been very different.
“My ophthalmologist told me my eyesight could have been irreparably damaged within a short space of time [without screening].”
The NHS has already been looking at upgrading diabetic retinopathy, leading an initiative with Kings College London to employ AI to detect disease earlier.
BIB Ophthalmic Instruments, the UK distributor for diagnostic company Optopol, could be one of those in line to benefit from the screening expansion. Optopol’s Revo FC Series, an OCT device, was approved for use on the NHS diabetic eye screening programme in January this year. Birmingham Optical Group, Sense Medical, and Topcon also have approved systems on the programme, as per an NHS England guidance document.
With 2023 revenues of $9.4bn, Alcon holds the largest market share of the global ophthalmic device market, as per analysis by GlobalData. The ophthalmic device market in the UK was estimated to be worth $239m in 2023, with it forecast to grow to $277m by 2033.
The screening expansion comes after the UK Government allocated an extra £22.6bn in funding over this year and next as part of the Autumn Budget. Increasing the number of diagnostic scans was one of the upgrades listed in the budget by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, along with improving GP facilities and developing new surgical hubs.
