Mid and South Essex Eye Screening Programme

05/04/2026

02/04/2026

Every Life Has Value and today and everyday we can offer our Autistic diabetic patients:
• extended appointment time
• priority appointments at a specific part of the day
• different screening venue
• communication support
• allowing a family member or carer/s to stay all the time
• a quiet place to wait away from the main waiting area
• allocating a clinician by gender
• easy read information
• visit to the screening venue prior to the appointment
Please call our Bookings office on 01245 806100 to discuss any specific needs you may have and ensure your screening appointment will run as smoothly as possible.

01/04/2026

Do not drive to your appointments!

We use eye drops to temporarily make your pupils larger. This is important because it gives us a much better view of the retina, however it means your pupils will not be as reactive to block out bright lights.

This can cause glare and makes your vision blurry.

You should not drive for at least 4 hours after you have had dilation drops.

31/03/2026

What should I bring to my diabetic eye screening appointment?

30/03/2026

When is screening offered?

We invite everyone with diabetes aged 12 and over for diabetic eye screening. How often you are invited for screening will depend on the results from your last 2 screening appointments.

If no diabetic retinopathy was detected, you will be invited for screening every 1 or 2 years.

Patients should be screened continuously for life if there has ever been a definite diagnosis of diabetes, excluding gestational diabetes. This includes people with diabetes in remission.

Screening is very important when you are pregnant because the risk of serious eye problems is greater, so if you are pregnant, you will be screened every three months until the end of your pregnancy.

26/03/2026

Diabetic Eye Screening 👀

Eye screening is an important part of your diabetes care. Untreated diabetic retinopathy is one of the most common causes of sight loss. When the condition is caught early, treatment is effective at reducing or preventing damage to your sight.

Remember, diabetic eye screening is not covered as part of your normal eye examination with an optician. Screening does not look for other eye conditions and you should continue to visit your optician regularly for an eye examination.

Find out who should have diabetic eye screening, why it's done and what happens, and when you’ll get your results.

24/03/2026

What is Diabetic Retinopathy?

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is an eye disease, caused by complications from diabetes, when high blood sugar levels damage the small blood vessels at the back of the eye (retina). It doesn’t have any symptoms at its early stages and can go unnoticed until the condition progresses. It can cause blindness if it is left undiagnosed and untreated.

Early signs of DR can be detected by taking photographs of the retina during diabetic eye screening.

Log in to our patient portal to manage your eye screening appointments, or call us on 01245 806100.

19/03/2026

Meningitis can be very serious if not treated quickly.

The NHS website has all the information you need, including what to look out for and when to get medical help.

➡️ https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/meningitis/

19/03/2026

🗣 The words you use shape how you feel.

A small shift in language can change your mindset and open new doors. Speak to yourself with more kindness, more ownership, and more belief. It starts with how you talk to you.