Retinal photography can help save diabetics in Armenia from blindness

The Armenian EyeCare Profect is launching a new project in Armenia, which can save thousands of diabetics from blindness: with the help of digital retinal photography, diabetic retinopathy can be diagnosed, and if it’s treated on time, it can help prevent vision loss.

According to the founder of the Armenian EyeCare Profect (AECP), president of the Harvard Ophthalmology Organization Roger Ohanesian (USA), diabetes is the biggest cause of blindness in the world: in 95% of cases, people are blinded due to complications of diabetes. Diabetes currently affects about 9% of the population. In Armenia, the estimated number of diabetics is 270,000, yet many of those people do not yet know that they have diabetes. Every third diabetic develops diabetic retinopathy, a complication resulting in damage to the vessels of the eye, because of which the patient's vision deteriorates or is lost completely. Blindness develops in every third patient with diabetic retinopathy.

However, even if the patient already has diabetic retinopathy, blindness can be avoided if the problem is detected early enough and if the necessary treatment is started on time. This is exactly what AECP’s new project is aimed at. In Yerevan and in the regions of Armenia, people with diabetes can have their retina photographed for free, which will help diagnose diabetic retinopathy before any complications occur.

Digital retinal photography is done with the help of a digital camera system that takes a photograph of the retina. 5 such cameras have already been purchased by AECP.

The success of the project will largely depend on the diabetics themselves: if a person knows that he has diabetes, he should not hesitate go for a checkup. GPs and endocrinologists will also play an important role in this project, since they are the first doctors who meet diabetics, so they should explain them the importance of these check-ups.

‘Everyone thinks that it (blindness) can happen to anyone, but not him. But in fact, a third of diabetics will have diabetic retinopathy, and every third with this disease will sooner or later have blindness. Therefore, if you have diabetes, be sure to check your eyes,’ Roger Ohanesian said.

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