Oct 14, 2009 8:59 pm US/Pacific
New Effort For Diabetics To Preserve Their Vision
BERKELEY (CBS 5) ―
Diabetes is the main cause of blindness in adults. But if you are uninsured or low income, getting an eye exam and paying for it may be impossible. Thanks to a professor at UC Berkeley, there is a solution.
Shawne Kirkland of Oakland has diabetes. And, she's uninsured.
Because of that, Shawne qualifies for an unusual eye exam at the Lifelong Medical Health Center in Berkeley.
"It didn't take a lot of time at all. It was very quick and very professional", Kirkland said.
The exam involves a digital camera that takes high-resolution pictures of the patient's retina. Then, using license free, web-based software, the pictures are sent electronically to optometrists, many at Berkeley, who scan the retina for the number one cause of blindness in adults: diabetic retinopathy.
Dr. Jorge Cuadros of UC Berkeley and the California Optometric Association explained: "When the blood sugar rises from diabetes, uncontrolled diabetes, then the small blood vessels inside the eye begin to break down and you have a lot of bleeding, scarring and tissue death, and that's generally what causes the blindness."
Dr. Cuadros is the driving force behind project, called EYEPACS.
He said annual eye exams are crucial for anyone with diabetes. However, a growing number of Californians are uninsured or under extreme economic pressure.
"You can imagine sometimes the eye exam would be what they pay for groceries for a whole week," Dr. Cuadros said.
With diabetic retinopathy, the symptoms are few, and patients can suddenly go blind overnight. If caught early, 90 percent of the cases of blindness from diabetes can be prevented.
Sacha Rood works at the Lifelong Medical Health Center and takes the pictures.
"It's awesome. We can offer it to people who don't have insurance," Rood said.
As for Shawne Kirkland, good news: No retinopathy. "The results were great. I was like nervous in the beginning but the results were fine, the machine is a lifesaver," she said.
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