Your Diabetic Eye Screening Results Explained
Following your recent Diabetic Eye Screening appointment, you should receive your results letter within 3 weeks of attending. Your images will be assessed by our graders, who aim to look for any signs of Diabetic Retinopathy. If you are confused about what your results mean, scroll below to see an explanation of each grade, and what will happen next.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us and a member of our team will be happy to discuss further. If you would like to receive your results quicker, you can sign up to our online portal, where you can access your letters digitally.
R0 - No Retinopathy
This means you currently have no signs of Diabetic Retinopathy. This is healthy and you should continue to attend your regular eye screening appointments.
R1 - Background Retinopathy
This stage is very common in those with Diabetes and means that microaneurysms, which are small bulges in your blood vessels, are present in the retina and sometimes they leak small amounts of blood. This is nothing to worry about and you will still receive annual screening as this can heal by itself. Just make sure to keep on top of your diabetes.
R2 - Pre-Proliferative Retinopathy
This is more severe and means there are more abnormal changes in the retina. This may mean we screen you every 3 or 6 months to ensure it doesn’t get worse or, if it does, refer you to the hospital early for more effective treatment.
R3 - Proliferative Retinopathy
This is when new blood vessels develop which are much more fragile and at risk of bursting, causing a bleed. These new vessels form when the retina becomes ischemic (not enough blood flow, and therefore not enough oxygen to the areas needed). Scar tissue can also form which can lead to retinal detachment, significant bleeding and can cause sight loss.
M1 - Maculopathy
This is when the blood vessels in the Macula, the centre of the retina which is responsible for fine, central vision, become leaky or blocked. This can leave indicators of maculopathy such as bleeds or exudate. This may start to cause problems with vision so it is very important to attend any appointments for your eyes and to manage your diabetes well. We will screen you more often, usually every 3 or 6 months, or refer to the hospital depending on severity.
U - Unassessable
This is if your images were unable to be assessed. This could be due to a technical issue, or if it is too difficult to capture images using the regular equipment. You will be re-invited to another appointment to attempt to recapture images, or invited to a ‘Slit Lamp’ appointment.
