Diabetes patients have been warned that non-attendance at eye-test appointments puts them at greater risk of developing unnecessary sight loss.
The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) has described the attendance rates at clinics in Northern Ireland as “alarmingly low” .
It said 20% to 40% of patients were not showing up for their appointments on any given day.
On Saturday afternoons that figure can be even higher.
Prof Tunde Peto, clinical lead for the NI Diabetic Eye Screening Programme, said the most common of many complications caused by diabetes was diabetic eye disease.
Diabetes can cause cataracts early on but it can also affect the retina at the back of the eye, “which will eventually lead to sight loss if not treated on time,” Prof Peto explained.
“Diabetic retinopathy causes no symptoms until it can be just about too late to treat,” she said.
The good news is that, if the disease is caught early enough through screening, treatments are available.