Your clinic

Your yearly eye picture: what happens, step by step

Eight short parts. Read them in any order. Tap a number to jump.

NAVIGATORYour clinic

Why a picture of your eye, every year

Diabetes can harm the small blood vessels in the back of your eye.
The back of the eye is called the retina. It is the part of the eye that sees.
Early on you feel nothing. Your sight seems fine.
A picture once a year finds changes early. Found early, they can be treated.

Who is calling, and how your date was booked

The call or text comes from your clinic. It is the clinic's care navigator, and it speaks your language.
Your month is your birth month. The navigator offers dates in that month.
You choose the date. The navigator books it.

At the camera

You sit in a chair. You rest your chin and forehead on a support.
You look into the camera. A light flashes for a moment. It can feel bright. It does not hurt.
One picture of each eye.
Most people need no eye drops.
Your clinic uses the camera.

How long it takes

The picture itself takes about one minute.
Clinic staff take it. It can happen while you wait for your doctor.
Eye drops are what make eyes blurry for hours after a dilated eye exam. Here, most people need none.
The day before, the navigator sends a reminder with the time and place.

What the picture is read for

A computer program reads the picture. No doctor reads it at the camera.
It looks for signs of diabetic retinopathy. That is damage to the blood vessels in the retina from diabetes.
The read comes back on the spot.
The read says one of three things: no signs found, signs found, or the picture was not clear enough.

The results call

Everyone gets a call with their result. Not only people with a finding.
No signs found: your next picture is next year, in your birth month.
Signs found, or the picture was not clear: one visit with an eye doctor.
The picture alone is not a diagnosis. The eye doctor looks closely and tells you what it means.
The navigator books that visit and arranges a ride.

If you cannot make it

Say so. Reply to the text, or say it on the call.
You get a new date in the same month.

Once a year, and one rule

The picture is once a year. Your birth month is your month.
Do not wait for the picture if something changes.
Blurred vision, new spots or dark shapes, flashes of light, or a shadow like a curtain: tell your clinic today.

That is all. Questions? Reply to the message or call your clinic.