Specsavers is proud to unite with Diabetes Australia in the fight against preventable diabetes-related blindness through KeepSight, Australia’s diabetes eye screening reminder program. Already our optometrists have registered more than 500,000 appointments with the program, meaning that more than 270,000 people with diabetes are registered to receive reminders when their diabetes eye checks are due.
On World Diabetes Day, Diabetes Australia Group CEO Justine Cain is thanking Specsavers optometrists for their unwavering support of KeepSight, and their commitment to ending preventable diabetes-related blindness in Australia.
“In uniting with Specsavers to deliver KeepSight, we have the potential to change the numbers and incidence of diabetes-related blindness,” Ms Cain said.
“Almost 1.5 million Australians have been diagnosed with diabetes and all Australians with diabetes are at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. On average, one in three people with diabetes will develop some form of diabetes-related eye disease, and we know there are 100,000 hospitalisations every year because of eye complications.”
KeepSight has shown that uniting and partnering with the eye sector for a coordinated approach to early detection and intervention for people with diabetes can have a real impact and change people’s lives.
“Through the support and commitment of Specsavers as our foundation partner, we now have more than 60 percent of the eye care sector offering on-the-spot reminder registration when people book their diabetes eye check,“ Ms Cain continued.
Specsavers Optometry Director Dr Ben Ashby says “Diabetes doesn’t have to be the leading cause of blindness in Australia. Together as an industry and with support from the Government, KeepSight is our chance to prevent unnecessary vision loss to diabetes through regular checks and early treatment. Specsavers is dedicated to making a real-life impact for people with diabetes in Australia. It is committed to maintaining its registration rates of consenting patients, to improving and measuring patient attendance rates following recall from both Specsavers and KeepSight reminders, and to providing world-class patient care for patients with diabetes.”
