Diabetic Eye Screening pathways – what you need to know
Routine screening
If diabetes has caused little or no changes to your eyes, you’ll be placed on our Routine Screening pathway. This means we’ll check your eyes every 1 or 2 years, depending on what we find during your screening.
Digital surveillance
If we notice early signs of damage from diabetes in your eyes, you’ll be moved to our Digital Surveillance pathway. This means we’ll monitor your eyes more closely.
You may also be invited to a special clinic for a scan called OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography). This is a more detailed scan that gives us a 3D image of the back of your eye. It helps us spot problems earlier—especially a condition called diabetic macular oedema (DME), which can affect your central vision.
Please note: Not all local clinics have this advanced scanner, so you might need to travel a bit further for this appointment.
Why OCT is helpful:
- It gives a clearer, more detailed view than standard eye photos.
- It helps us spot changes earlier.
- It can reduce the need for hospital referrals.
- It supports faster treatment to help protect your sight.
Slit Lamp Biomicroscopy (SLB)
Sometimes, the standard eye photos don’t give us a clear enough view. This can happen if:
- You have cataracts or other conditions that block the view.
- Your pupils don’t open wide enough.
- You’re pregnant and need closer monitoring.
In these cases, we’ll invite you for a slit lamp examination. This is a special microscope with a bright light that lets us look at your eyes in more detail.
If you have any questions about your screening pathway or appointment, please don’t hesitate to contact your local diabetic eye screening service.
NHS guides to diabetic eye screening
UK Government website: Your guide to diabetic eye screening
Video guide to diabetic eye screening
The below video explains what will happen at each stage of the diabetic eye screening process.
When should I or shouldn’t I attend
Please let us know if you have recently received treatment on your eyes so we can ensure that it is safe and appropriate for you to attend.
If you have cataract surgery we will need to wait until six weeks after the operation and preferably once you have competed the course of drops before we can screen you. Please let us know if your appointment is booked within six weeks following your operation and we will rearrange your appointment.
If you are under Ophthalmology then we may not need to screen you if they are also checking and recording diabetic retinopathy results. Please let us know if you believe this is the case.
If you are under the care of Ophthalmology and have not received an appointment in over 12 months, please let us know so we can ensure that you are receiving the care that you need.
However, if you are under the care of a private clinic for your eyes, we will need to continue to invite you as normal as per the national guidelines. If you do not wish to attend our appointments, you can opt out for up to three years.
Patients will need to be able to sit up straight and place their chin on the chin rest and follow the instructions from the screener throughout the screening process. If you don’t think that the patient will be able to achieve this, please contact the administration team to discuss.