Diabetic retinopathy and public health

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the commonest complication of diabetes and is one of the leading causes of blindness [1]. Recent research has given a better understanding of the disease processes and is opening up new avenues for prevention and treatment. Very effective treatments are available and are optimally used when retinopathy is detected early, well before the patient is aware of symptoms. For this reason screening programs for early detection of retinopathy are an essential part of diabetes care and are in widespread use. Several screening modalities have been used, however, digital retinal photography is now considered the preferred screening tool. There is potential for automated image analysis to manage the large volume of images generated from screening the ever-increasing number of people with diabetes.