More than 170 people were screened for a condition known as diabetic eye disease through a free programme offered across the territory over the past eight months.
The first screening for diabetic retinopathy was held last November at the BVI Diabetes Resource Centre in Road Town as part of Diabetes Awareness Month. Since then, screenings have been offered in Anegada, Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda and other parts of Tortola.
Dr. Nick Lee, the ophthalmologist conducting the exams, told the Beacon that all diabetics should get their eyes checked even if they are not experiencing vision problems. The retinopathy, he added, can be a warning sign of additional issues in other parts of the body.
Photo machine
To test for the condition, Dr. Lee uses a machine designed to photograph the back of the eye to see if there is any damage in the capillaries due to diabetes. On July 14, the machine was taken to Anegada, where 16 diabetics had their eyes checked at the Nurse Romalia Smith Community Clinic.
Dr. Lee was assisted by his wife Michele, an ophthalmic technician assistant, and two volunteers from the BVI Diabetes Association.
Romalia Smith also paid a visit during the screening event, according to Dr. Lee.
The final screening in the eight-month series was held Monday at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in East End.
That morning, Dr. Lee said, 24 patients were seen.
“Quite a number of them needed additional care, whether this be their general diabetes or blood pressure — and around a quarter needed to be seen in the eye clinic for laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy or surgery for sight-threatening pterygium,” Dr. Lee told the Beacon.
Though the screening events are finished for this year, diabetics will still have a chance to get their eyes examined, according to Dr. Lee.
“The next step is to place a permanent camera in [the] central Road Town office of [the] Diabetes Association so that annual reviews can be photographed and graded,” he said.
The ophthalmologist added that this service should be available later this year.
Without a comprehensive list of all diabetics in the territory, Dr. Lee said it “will not be possible to reach all diabetics” to be screened.
Therefore, he said, visitations to other islands in the VI will continue in the future.
“We will be continuing to give our time and expertise to this important programme we have started and visiting the islands again on an annual basis,” he told the Beacon.
To ensure that the programme can continue, he said, he has been in dialogue with Health and Social Development Minister Vincent Wheatley, the National Health Insurance programme and the BVI Diabetes Association.
Dr. Lee said that diabetic eye disease and sight loss are common among diabetics.
However, he emphasised that the conditions are treatable once diagnosed.
British Caribbean News
