Some people living with diabetes may soon be asked to have an additional scan as part of their diabetic eye screening, so that anyone with eye problems can be treated more quickly.
Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease that people with diabetes are more at risk of developing, so it is vital that people with diabetes attend diabetic eye screenings. This screening can help detect eye problems early on, and it is offered to everyone aged 12 or older who has diabetes.
As part of this screening, NHS England will start to introduce a scan called Optical Coherence Tomography, or OCT for short. It takes a few seconds and is painless.
In England, the OCT scan is now starting to be introduced into diabetic eye screening clinics. The OCT scan is already offered in Scotland.
NHS England says that screening should be offered to anyone with diabetes who needs it by October 2025.
What is an OCT scan?
If your retinal photos show you have small changes in your eyes, you may be asked to have an OCT scan.
An OCT scan can help an eye doctor to see if someone has developed diabetic retinopathy. It detects changes to the eye that don’t show up in colour photography, such as a thickening of the retina.
The detailed picture of the retina it provides can help eye doctors detect problems sooner, and help your diabetes team decide if you need hospital treatment.
If the OCT scan shows that you are at low risk of developing eye problems then you can instead be seen by your local eye screening provider.
Training for staff will be offered over the coming months to ensure that all services offer OCT scans in England by October 2025.
Katie Bareford, Senior Clinical Advisor at Diabetes UK, said:
“If you have diabetes, it’s really important to attend your diabetes eye screening appointments because you might not realise there’s a problem with your eyes. If an eye problem is picked up early, taking the right steps can stop it getting worse.
“The OCT scan gives more accurate results which will help your diabetes team to decide whether you need to be referred to a hospital eye clinic or not. This is important because it means that people with diabetes who have eye problems detected by an OCT scan be treated more quickly."
