WANDS

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Working Age Non-Attendance in Diabetic eye Screening

• IRAS ID

  350634

• Contact name

  Peter Scanlon

• Contact email

  p.scanlon@nhs.net

• Sponsor organisation

  Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 0 months, 0 days

• Research summary

  People with diabetes are at risk of permanent sight loss due to damage to the back of their eye, known as the retina. This condition is known as diabetic retinopathy and is the second most common cause of blindness in the UK. In England, people with diabetes are invited to a screening programme where pictures of the retina are taken to look for any signs of disease. If treated early, it can prevent sight loss.

  Eye drops are needed to make the pupils big enough to take pictures with the currently available cameras. These drops can sting and blur vision for up to 6 hours afterwards. This means people cannot drive and often cannot work after having the pictures. It is unknown how much these drops impact attendance. Newer cameras, like the iCare Eidon do not require eye drops to take high-quality pictures for most people, but not all.

  We would like to investigate if it improves attendance in working age people who usually do not attend.

  Our pilot study aims:

  1. To explore whether screening without eye drops could increase attendance rates at diabetic eye screening in working age people (aged 18-64), who usually do not attend screening.
  This will be measured by the difference in attendance rates in the two arms of the study. The control arm will be offered routine screening with eye drops. The intervention arm will be offered screening with the iCare Eidon without eye drops.

  2. To assess the feasibility of a full-scale trial.
  We will test if our study design is suitable and can be used for a larger scale trial. We will calculate the number of participants needed for a full-scale trial.

  3. To explore the reasons why patients do not attend screening regularly.
  This will be assessed through a questionnaire given to patients who attend for screening with the iCare Eidon.

• REC name

  North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  24/NE/0208

• Date of REC Opinion

  3 Dec 2024

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion