Diabetic patients 20 times more likely to have vision problems

RAK Hospital free Eye Check up Camp, dedicated to UAE’s Year of Giving program, to provide comprehensive tests to identify diabetes related eye diseases

March 8, 2017; Ras Al Khaimah, UAE:  Taking forward hospital’s “Nazar Ayeni” community initiative that has provided eye screening for over 16,000 RAK residents so far and just ahead of the World Glaucoma Week, RAK Hospital will be conducting a Free Eye Check Up camp on Saturday, March 11, 2017 from 9 am to 5 pm at RAK Eye Care Center located within the hospital premises. The camp is dedicated to UAE’s Year of Giving initiative and would particularly focus on Diabetes linked eye diseases and will provide free Vision test, Tonometry or eye pressure measurement to check for glaucoma (an eye diseases that can cause blindness by damaging the nerve in the back of the eye), Retinal Imaging to find and treat eye problems such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration along with a complimentary consultation with the Retina Specialist.

Diabetes can affect eyes in a number of ways and is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. The most serious eye condition related to Diabetes is diabetic retinopathy. It causes progressive damage to the retina, the light-sensitive lining at the back of the eye and is a serious sight-threatening complication of diabetes.

“Diabetes patients are 20 times more likely to experience vision problems, so preventing the condition is all about managing it. Often the early stages of diabetic retinopathy have no visual symptoms. That is why we recommend everyone with diabetes to have a comprehensive dilated eye examination at least once a year. Symptoms for diabetic retinopathy include blurred vision, discoloured spots or floaters that obscure your sight, reduced night vision and sudden vision loss. Diabetic eye disease also puts patients at risk of developing cataracts and glaucoma”, said Dr Mohit Jain, Specialist Ophthalmologist at RAK Hospital.

The Nazar Ayeni (“My Eyesight”) CSR mission aims to screen the entire population of Ras Al Khaimah by year 2020 while constantly working on eliminating causes of blindness and vision disorders as a public health problem. 

Through this program, the hospital conducts continuous awareness and screening campaigns and early detection of eye diseases which may lead to blindness or other serious eye problems.

Studies indicate that nearly 86 per cent of Type I diabetics get retinopathy while 33 per cent of Type II get it. However, what is really dangerous is that nearly one-third of these people are unaware about the disease, which can be prevented and slowed down with early intervention.

 “We want to create awareness about the high incidences of diabetes related eye diseases. Given the soaring prevalence of the disease among UAE residents, I think it’s crucial to educate them about the complications and showing them how early detection and intervention can help reverse or slow the process. Moreover, through our Nazar Ayeni program we wish to identify cases where residents need further eye treatment in order to prevent preventable blindness. Through such initiatives we want to contribute to the society in our own small way,” added Dr. Raza Siddiqui, Executive Director of RAK Hospital. 

“As UAE marks 2017 as the Year of Giving, Our Nazar Ayeni and  Diabetes Prevention program “Lets Beat Diabetes” are fully dedicated to the concept, while as a group we would be launching a number of initiatives throughout the year to contribute to the cause”, added Dr. Raza.

With a focused commitment to provide compassionate, safe and high quality ophthalmic services, the center aims to transform eye care service standards. The facility is the first and the only dedicated Eye Specialty Center in the entire Northern Emirates working on prevention of blindness while offering comprehensive patient care, sight enhancement and rehabilitation services along with high-impact eye health programs.

The center also offers Femto-Lasik, the best technology for laser eye surgery treatment. Femto-Lasik is the most recent ocular laser technology intended for people who can’t see without glasses or contacts. Whether someone suffers from short-sightedness (myopia), long-sightedness (hypermetropia/hyperopia), astigmatism, or age-related long-sightedness (presbyopia): all these conditions can be treated without problem. This innovative technology is extremely beneficial for patients for a number of reasons which include higher safety, fewer side effects, no inflammation, fast results, comfortable and painless and also helps in severe cases.