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The Herts and West Essex (HWE) diabetic eye screening programme (DESP) is part of a national programme dedicated to screening patients with diabetes to detect diabetic eye disease (retinopathy).
Diabetic retinopathy is a sight-threatening condition that can affect anyone with diabetes. It affects the retina at the back of the eye and is caused when the blood vessels become blocked, leak, or grow haphazardly. A person with diabetic retinopathy may not be aware of any changes to the retina until their vision is impaired, at which point it may not be possible to completely restore vision; this is why it is essential for a person with diabetes to have their eyes screened regularly. They will be invited annually or every two years dependant on clinical need.
Regular screening enables the monitoring of any retinal changes with subsequent referral to the hospital eye service, if required. The HWE eye screening team is dedicated to making service users comfortable and to ensuring they are kept fully informed at each stage of the screening process.
- Contact the service
- How the service is provided
- Who is eligible for the service
- What will happen at your appointment
- Useful information
- Making a referral
- Patient experience
Contact the service
Tel: 01442 285 854 (new HWE DESP number)
Email: hct.hwedesp@nhs.net
Diabetic Eye Screening Programme clinics are held at the following locations:
West Hertfordshire locations
- Elstree Way Clinic, Elstree Way, Borehamwood
- Gossoms End, Victory Rd, Berkhamsted
- Harpenden Memorial Hospital, Harpenden
- Potters Bar Hospital, Barnet Rd, Potters Bar
- Skidmore Way Health Centre, Skidmore Way, Rickmansworth
- St Albans Health & Wellbeing Centre, Civic Centre, St Albans
- South Oxhey Clinic, Oxhey Drive, Watford
- The Avenue Health Centre, The Avenue, Watford
- The Marlowes Health & Wellbeing, Hemel Hempstead
- St Albans City Hospital, Waverley Rd, St Albans
- Watford General Hospital, Vicarage Rd, Watford
East & North Hertfordshire locations
- Baldock Health Centre, Park Drive, Baldock
- Bedford Road Health Centre, Hitchin
- Cheshunt Community Hospital, Cheshunt
- Hertford County Hospital, Hertford
- Lister Hospital, Stevenage
- New QE2 Hospital, Welwyn Garden City
- Central Surgery, Sawbridgeworth
West Essex locations
- Dunmow Community Clinic, Great Dunmow
- Latton Bush Centre, Harlow
- Rectory Lane Health Centre, Loughton
- Saffron Walden Community Hospital, Saffron Walden
- Waltham Abbey Health Centre, Waltham Abbey
- Stansted Pharmacy, Stansted Mountfichet
How the service is provided
All diabetes patients are offered appointments in dedicated eye screening clinics.
Who is eligible for the service
The Diabetic Eye Screening Programme offers retinal screening to all people with diabetes, aged 12 and over, who live in the Hertfordshire and West Essex catchment area.
What will happen at your appointment
At the screening appointment the screener will check your sight on a letter chart (please bring your spectacles). Eye drops will be put into your eyes to dilate your pupils to enable high quality photographs of the retinae (back of the eyes) using a digital camera. Once your pupils are sufficiently dilated, usually after 20 minutes, two photographs are taken of each eye.
The photographs are analysed at our grading centre for any changes to the retinae which may require monitoring or treatment and will go through at least two grading processes to ensure accuracy before the results are sent to you and your GP.
Please note, the eye drops may sting for a few seconds after they have been administered and will temporarily blur your vision, this can last for up to 3-4 hours. They will make your eyes sensitive to bright light, preventing you from reading or driving for the duration of the blurring. Due to the blurring of your vision it is important that you do not drive after your eye screening appointment, as this could invalidate your car insurance.
Useful information
Retinopathy
Retinopathy is a complication of diabetes, so to reduce your risk of developing retinopathy, or to stop it from getting worse, research has shown the following aspects of good diabetic control to be of significant benefit:
- good blood glucose control
- good blood pressure - below 130/80 or less
- total cholesterol - less than 4mmol/l
Eating a healthy balanced diet, losing weight (if necessary) and keeping active with regular exercise are important in the control of diabetes. If you smoke, it is advised you should try to stop - advice and support to help you stop smoking can be sought from the Hertfordshire Stop Smoking Service. They can be contacted on 0800 389 3998 or text SMOKEFREE on 80818.
Making a referral
Referrals to the eye screening programme should be made using the GP and DSN referral form or for pregnant patients, referrals can be sent by:
Email: hct.hwedesp@nhs.net
Tel: 01442 285 854
Post: Administrative Team
Diabetic Retinal Screening Service
Gossoms End Community Hospital
Victory Road
Berkhamsted
HP4 1DL
Patient experience
If you would like to share your story, please contact the Patient Experience team on 01707 388036 or email pals.hchs@nhs.net.
We would also love to hear about your experience of our service - please complete a survey by clicking here.
