Sreening for Diabetic Retinopathy in Québec

12-17-2008 | Dépistage et pratiques cliniques préventives

Of the many eye complications caused by diabetes, diabetic retinopathy is the most severe. Almost all people with diabetes are affected by it at some point in their lives. Diabetic retinopathy (DR), which is the main cause of blindness in the working population in industrialized countries, is often totally asymptomatic until the onset of complications. Vision loss, which may be gradual or sudden, generally appears only in the fi nal stage of the disease.

The Association des médecins ophtalmologistes du Québec (AMOQ) asked the Agence d’évaluation des technologies et des modes d’intervention en santé (AETMIS) to assess the advisability of screening for diabetic retinopathy and the feasibility of a screening program in Québec. Two specific points were mentioned in the request: to examine the effectiveness of the new generation of digital non-mydriatic retinal cameras (without pupil dilation), and to analyze diabetic retinopathy screening programs in other countries.

This report is a systematic literature review on that topic. Assessing the advisability of screening for diabetic retinopathy aims to answer questions about the availability of an effective treatment, the performance of diagnostic screening methods, the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of screening programs, and the ethical, social, economic and organizational issues surrounding this type of program.


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