Diabetic eye clinics
These aim, where possible, to be one-stop clinics, where patients will be assessed and treated on the same day.
Everybody who attends these clinics will need eyedrops so that the back of the eye can be examined.
DO NOT drive yourself to the hospital as the eyedrops dilate the pupils and blur the vision for a few hours. You will not be able to drive home.
Patients may also be given a fluorescein angioscan. Here a small amount of special dye is injected into the arm. This travels through the bloodstream to the eye and a series of photographs of your retina will be taken. You may feel a bit sick and may be a bit dazzled afterwards but otherwise there are no other side effects.