Published: November 22, 2008
New diabetic eye screening clinic opened in Burnham-On-Sea

People with diabetes living in and around Burnham-On-Sea now have their own diabetic eye screening clinic at the town's hospital.

Somerset's NHS Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Service has just opened at Burnham War Memorial Hospital and its weekly eye screening clinics are already proving a convenient option for some 1,650 diabetic patients living in and around Burnham.

The eye-screening service in Somerset is part of a national screening programme created to detect the early signs of an eye condition called retinopathy, which people with diabetes are more likely to develop.

Retinopathy can lead to sight loss and it is vital that people with diabetes have their eyes checked once a year from the age of 12 onwards.

Anthony Bray, an eye screener with the Somerset NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Service, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: "We are delighted to have a new eye screening clinic operating in Burnham."

"Routine testing of the eyes is so important for people with diabetes and it is essential that patients attend the eye clinic when notified by the Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Service."

"By opening the clinic in Burnham, it makes screening accessible to more people who find it difficult to travel to other screening venues."

Tina Clark, Programme Manager, added: "We are fortunate to have a dedicated team of staff who work on this programme, from the Call and Recall staff who send appointments, to the Health Care Assistants and Screener/Graders that run the clinics. We also work very closely with the Consultant Ophthalmologist to ensure a high quality service. It is important that patients know that they should still attend their screening appointment, even if they are currently seeing an optician."

Local health experts predict that by 2010 there will be twice as many people with diabetes as there were in the year 2000. In Somerset, this could represent over 30,000 people. There are currently 16,500 diabetics in the county serviced by the Somerset NHS Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Service.

Our photo shows Diabetes Healthcare Assistant Jackie Southward and the Diabetic Eye Screener Anthony Bray with the retinopathy screening camera, which is helping to reduce the risk of sight loss to Burnham's 1,650 diabetic patients