Diabetic eye screening standards
Document Type
Standards
Summary
We are developing standards for the national diabetic eye screening (DES) programme. DES checks for a condition known as diabetic retinopathy. This is when diabetes causes the retinal blood vessels to become blocked or to leak. Diabetic retinopathy is a leading global cause of visual impairment or blindness. As there are no symptoms in the early stages, screening is important to identify and treat diabetic retinopathy early.
The aim of the Scottish DES programme is to reduce the incidence of vision loss through diabetes. Screening is offered to eligible people aged 12 years or over who have diabetes.
Consultation survey
Take part in our consultation on Smart Survey.
These standards are a review of the 2016 Diabetic Retinopathy Screening standards.
The consultation on the draft standards closes on 27 November 2025.
What we are consulting on
There are four standards within the draft which cover:
- diabetic eye screening invitation
- diabetic eye screening
- assessment of images and screening results
- referral to optical coherence tomography or ophthalmology
Further information on the background to the standards development can be found within the draft standards consultation document.
Consultation feedback
A summary of the responses to the consultation will be made available on request. You can request them from the project team at his.standardsandindicators@nhs.scot