Eye Care

The combined effort of diabetologists and ophthalmologists makes implementation of a screening programme for retinopathy possible in our country. The main problem in diabetes retinopathy is that patients will not have any visual or ocular symptoms until the central seeing area of the retina (macula) is affected or if there is bleeding in the eye. The retinal examination must be done once a year (annually) starting from the time of diagnosis of diabetes for all patients with diabetes.
Every patient with diabetes is advised to take an annual comprehensive eye examination at the centre. This involves:

Checking vision using the latest equipment
Measurement of the eye pressure
Examination of the front portion of the eye by slit lamp for cataract assessment
Dilatation of the pupils using eye drops
Retinal/ Fundus examination of the back of the eye

Newer techniques of screening for retinopathy by using state-of-the-art digital retinal cameras are available. Retinal Colour Photography is used as a screening procedure especially for people.
Tele-ophthalmology is a boon for patients in remote areas who don’t have access to ophthalmologists (retina specialists). Telescreening for diabetic retinopathy, which is a cost-effective and reliable method for screening, is done at all our branches where ophthalmologists are not available, using smartphone-based fundus cameras.

Fundus Fluorescein Angiography (FFA) is a procedure which involves intravenous injection of a dye in the arm and then taking rapid sequence photographs of the retina. This helps the ophthalmologist to have a complete assessment of the changes in the retina and pinpoint the specific areas in the retina which are diseased.
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a non-contact non-invasive retinal imaging technique, using infrared light to visualize the biological tissues/ layers of the retina, especially the central vision area of the retina, namely the macula. Qualitative and quantitative measurements of retinal morphology by the OCT makes it a powerful adjunct to conventional fundus examination and FFA, not only for diagnosis but also track disease progression and monitor response to treatment for sight-threatening retinopathy. It is useful in the evaluation and management of diabetes macular edema and various other retinal disorders.

Good blood sugar control is the mainstay of treatment for retinopathy. Laser photocoagulation and intravitreal injections are the gold standard treatment advised for patients with sight-threatening retinopathy. State-of-the-art laser photocoagulation equipment is available for treatment at our centre.