The NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme is again joining forces with the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) in April to hold the sixth national diabetic eye screening conference.
Screening helps prevent sight loss in people with diabetes by detecting diabetic retinopathy early, when treatment is effective at reducing or preventing damage from the condition. The national conference will provide an essential update to what is happening in diabetic eye screening in 2019.
The conference is aimed at anyone involved in providing diabetic eye screening: programme managers, clinical leads, optometrists, screeners, graders, GPs, diabetologists, paediatricians, ophthalmologists, public health professionals, quality assurance professionals and commissioners.
So put the following date in your diary now:
Friday 12 April.
Speakers announced
The conference will include a wide variety of international and national speakers as well as updates from the national team.
Speakers already confirmed include Professor Roy Taylor, responsible for the 800 calories a day diet that has received worldwide media coverage in raising awareness that some people with type 2 diabetes can achieve remission (see NHS.UK analysis for more information).
Prof Taylor said:
Changing beliefs about the reversible nature of type 2 diabetes has been a challenge rather similar to that we faced between 1986 and 1996 in achieving acceptance by ophthalmologists and diabetologists that screening for diabetic retinopathy should be done by retinal camera and not the ophthalmoscope. Both took many years. My talk will describe the current state of understanding of reversing type 2 diabetes to a state of post-diabetes. The practical approach to retinal screening of people with post-diabetes will also be discussed.
Dr Partha Kar (associate clinical director, NHS Diabetes) will discuss the importance of the language we use with people with diabetes in the NHS.
In addition, the conference will also feature speakers from the national programme, who will provide insights into recent changes and those planned for the future, giving important updates for best practice.
How to register
You can find out more and register now by visiting the RSM website. Fees vary for members and non-members. Registration closes on Monday 8 April.
Please note the key note speakers are due to speak at the sessions towards the end of the event so please book travel to allow yourself to attend these sessions without having to leave early.
This year we are again providing 10 funded places for any active graders and/or screeners working within diabetic eye screening. You can apply for a funded place by completing a short application.
Please note travel expenses are not included within these funded places. Registration for free places will close on Friday 15 February and successful applicants will be contacted the following week.
PHE Screening blogs
PHE Screening blogs provide up to date news from all NHS screening programmes. You can register to receive updates direct to your inbox, so there’s no need to keep checking for new blogs. If you have any questions about this blog article, or about population screening in England, please contact the PHE screening helpdesk.