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22nd Annual Meeting of the German Retina Society

German Retina Society

26.06. - 27.06.2009, Berlin

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Screening for diabetic retinopathy in England: Is centralized healthcare better?

Meeting Abstract

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  • Heinrich Heimann - Royal Liverpool University Hospital, St. Paul's Eye Unit
  • D. Broadbent - Royal Liverpool University Hospital, St. Paul's Eye Unit
  • S. Harding - Royal Liverpool University Hospital, St. Paul's Eye Unit

German Retina Society. 22nd Annual Meeting of the German Retina Society. Berlin, 26.-27.06.2009. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2009. DocRG2009-08

doi: 10.3205/09rg08, urn:nbn:de:0183-09rg087

This is the English version of the article.
The German version can be found at: http://www.egms.de/de/meetings/rg2009/09rg08.shtml

Published: June 29, 2009

© 2009 Heimann et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.

Outline

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Background: Diabetic retinopathy is the most common reason for preventable blindness in the industrialized world. Current changes in the structure of the population and lifestyle habits will lead to an estimated triplication of the number of affected patients until the year 2050. When detecting diabetic retinopathy, one can distinguish "opportunistic screening" (ophthalmological assessment of patients) that is currently standard in Germany from "systematic screening" (systematic registration and screening with digital photography) that is integrated into the healthcare system in the United Kingdom.

Methods: Comparison of both screening systems and review of the "Liverpool Eye Study".

Results: Systematic screening is superior regarding all essential aspects of disease detection - sensitivity, specitivity, compliance and cost-effectiveness.

Conclusion: Against the background of the expected massive increase in diabetic retinopathy, the currently practized system of opportunistic screening for diabetic retinopathy in Germany should be reviewed.