Table 1 shows the characteristics of the participants with and without retinal photography screening.
The photography screening was more equal, and instead of examining fundi, ophthalmologists could perform laser treatment.
The main strengths are access to retinal photography screening data, information about DR category in the patients' clinical records, use of a population based database, and sample size.
Sensitivity and specificity data for the digital retinal photography screening test were supplied by Royal Devon and Exeter and are 98.86 and 99.52%, respectively.
In our study, for example, patients with glaucoma and cataracts, and those attended by an ophthalmologist because they had VTDR, did not usually undergo retinal photography screening in primary care.
The major strengths of the current study are its use of national-level data, which include the results of retinal photography screening for diabetic retinopathy and covariate data from the time of type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
As Tayside, Scotland, is reasonably representative of Scotland as a whole, it is likely that the results are generalizable within Scotland, where there is a national retinal photography screening program.
All patients underwent retinal photography to screen for diabetic retinopathy, and resting and exercise echocardiography.
SDOCT imaging is a useful adjunct to colour fundus photography in screening for referable diabetic maculopathy in our screening population.
Screening would be conducted by ophthalmic trained technical assistants, undertaking optic nerve photography or screening mode perimetry (a measure of visual field sensitivity) with or without tonometry.
