Ophthalmology and MEND team up on early detection of eye disease
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Two medical groups at the University of Michigan are joining forces to make sure that people with diabetes keep watch on their vision.
At the University’s newest diabetes health center, many patients will be provided with a retina scan—essentially a photograph of the inside of the eye—to catch the earliest signs of eye disease. The scans will be sent electronically to the Kellogg Eye Center where they will be read by ophthalmologist Donald G. Puro, M.D., Ph.D. If he sees any indication of disease, he will call the patient to Kellogg for a full eye examination.
“The program will serve patients who have relatively good control of their diabetes and, as a result, may not feel an urgent need to schedule regular eye exams,” says ophthalmologist Michael Smith-Wheelock, M.D., who directs the project for the Eye Center. He has worked with Craig Jaffe, M.D., professor, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes (MEND), to get the program up and running in MEND’s new clinic at Domino’s Farms, Ann Arbor.
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Elevated blood sugar levels put people at risk for diabetic eye disease, most commonly diabetic retinopathy, which occurs when blood vessels in the retina are damaged. The disease can cause permanent vision loss. In the new program, patients with exceptionally high blood sugar levels will not have retinal scans; instead they will be urged to schedule eye exams — and quickly.
Dr. Puro, who conducts a diabetes screening clinic at the Eye Center, hopes that the new program will alert patients to the damage diabetes can do to vision. “The ideal is that everyone with diabetes will see an ophthalmologist once a year. But as a practical matter, not everyone does,” he says. Dr. Puro notes that patients with diabetes are often at greater risk for cataract and glaucoma, making regular eye check-ups all the more important.
Dr. Puro recalls that about five years ago the University Health System set a goal to increase the rate of eye examinations for its patients with diabetes. The results have been positive. In June 2004, only 49% of patients with diabetes had scheduled yearly eye examinations; by December 2008, some 76% had done so. The new retina scanning program is yet another effort to alert patients to signs of eye disease so they can receive the earliest possible treatment.
Drs. Puro and Smith-Wheelock agree that patients today are better educated about diabetes and the need to monitor blood sugar levels. Still, many patients fail to appreciate the seriousness of diabetic retinopathy, observes Dr. Smith-Wheelock. “I have seen cases where a patient believes his vision is fine, but the exam clearly indicates diabetic retinopathy,” he says. “Fortunately, good visual screening can save their sight.”
For more information: Contact the Comprehensive Eye Care Service at the Kellogg Eye Center.
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