Call for optometrists to enrol in diabetes screening program

Ahead of a large-scale consumer awareness campaign, Vision 2020 Australia, Diabetes Australia and Specsavers have all encouraged optometrists to subscribe to the program, which will rind patients enrolled on the National Diabetes Services Sche (NDSS) to schedule eye examinations.KeepSight has been initially funded via a five-year annual commitment of $1 million from Specsavers and a $1 million Australian government grant. Pharmaceutical company Bayer is also providing some funding towards the initiative.The program will aim to reach the 600,000 diabetic Australians who currently skip their recommended regular eye checks.For practitioners, registration is expected to take fewer than 60 seconds, and requires an Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency number for authentication. Once enrolled, new or existing patients can be added to the KeepSight portal and, with their consent, have their examination recorded to ensure they receive regular notices.KeepSight uses an established cloud-based digital platform, however, eyecare providers who do not use the technology can register on the KeepSight website.The program is being led by Diabetes Australia and Vision 2020 Australia. More reading:National diabetic eye screening program launched Image Caption: Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt at the launch of KeepSight in 2018