A new pregnancy eye screening initiative to protect the sight of women with diabetes was launched today (14 June 2023) by the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD at an event in the Mater Hospital, Dublin.
The risk of diabetic retinopathy may increase during pregnancy and women with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes who become pregnant need eye screening more often. Under the new initiative, women who have diabetes at the time they become pregnant will be referred to our Diabetic RetinaScreen programme by their maternity service as part of their initial assessment, or by their diabetes nurse or hospital doctor.
Following a successful pilot phase of the project in the Dublin maternity units in 2022, which was part-funded by a grant from the Women’s Health Fund, the initiative is now being rolled out nationally.
Speaking at the launch, Minister Donnelly said: “This pathway is another important development in how we support women’s health. I am delighted to see how funding for such projects from the Women’s Health Fund are now being realised, improving equality and quality of access to care for women.
“This new service aligns with the objectives of the Women’s Health Taskforce and Women’s Health Action Plan and I would like to thank everyone involved in getting this project over the line in such a short space of time.”
Our Diabetic RetinaScreen programme is encouraging women with diabetes to take up the invitation of this free and potentially sight-saving screening during their pregnancy. Over 170 women have been screened as part of this initiative so far and it is expected that over 250 women will benefit from the new pathway annually. Importantly, 50 women have come for screening through the pathway who had not been for eye screening previously. For these women, the benefit of the pathway extends beyond their pregnancy and they now have the opportunity to access this sight-saving screening for the rest of their lives.
Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes that affects the small blood vessels at the back of the eye, in an area called the retina, potentially damaging a person’s sight. When retinopathy is caught early, treatment is effective at reducing or preventing damage to the sight.
Clinical Director with Diabetic RetinaScreen Professor David Keegan said: “Women with diabetes have always been advised to have diabetic retina screening during their pregnancy, in addition to their screening at regular intervals. We know that not everyone takes up their offer of screening. By joining with our maternity hospitals to offer this service to women with diabetes during their pregnancy, we want to better inform people to choose screening.”
Dr Maria Byrne, a consultant endocrinologist in the Mater Hospital, spoke about the importance of diabetes and maternity services working together to provide care for women with diabetes. “This new initiative delivers equity, with every woman having the same referral pathway and the same opportunity to attend screening. This referral pathway means that there are women who may attend diabetic retinopathy screening for the first time, establishing a relationship between the woman and the programme that may last beyond her pregnancy. This is critical given that the longer you have diabetes the more likely you are to develop diabetic retinopathy.”
Earlier in the day, Minister Donnelly met patient advocate Vicky Doyle, joining her for a walk-through the screening process. Vicky told the Minister that the new system gives her “a sense of being minded - the efficiency and regularity is good, you get the appointment, test and your results arrive very soon after your test – you can’t ask for any better than that really. It’s a joined-up service and there’s a continuum of care.” The Minister thanked Vicky for allowing him to join her for her screening examination and wished her well for her pregnancy.
Women who are referred to Diabetic RetinaScreen can attend their appointments locally, across a network of 150 screening locations. The screening is free and if treatment is required, this is also provided free of charge.
Minister Donnelly acknowledged all those involved in the delivery of maternity services across the country “for their support of this new initiative” bringing together maternity services and screening services providing “local, targeted care for this specific group of women during their pregnancy.”
“Supporting our screening programmes” the Minister said “is a Programme for Government commitment and I am a keen supporter of further expansion of our population screening programmes.”
Referring to our new strategy – Choose Screening: Together we can make a difference – the Minister said “this new pathway embodies the overall objective of the strategy to secure an accessible, compassionate and participant-centred service for all.”
Find out more about diabetic retina screening in pregnancy.
Read our press release.