The Mobile Screening Unit will be parked at or near your GP surgery or local hospital.
The Mobile units have special retinal cameras. We also have static cameras based at some hospitals.
You should report to the Retinal Screener on the Mobile Van who will check your details and perform a vision test. Your pupils will then be dilated using eye drops. Once your eyes are fully dilated and no longer reacting to light, a photograph will be taken of the back of your eye (the retina).
The retina is the part of the eye that acts like the film of a camera. When the photograph is taken you will experience a bright flash of light. This should not be uncomfortable.
The drops will make your eyes sting but this will only last for a few seconds. After about 15 minutes your vision will be blurred. The blurring lasts for two to six hours and will affect your ability to drive.
You should not drive to and from your screening appointment
Very rarely, the drops used can cause a sudden rise in pressure within your eye. This only happens in people who are already at risk of developing the problem at some point in their lives. However, when it happens, it needs prompt treatment in an eye unit. The symptoms of an acute pressure rise are:
- Pain in your eye
- Redness of the white of your eye
- Constantly blurred sight, sometimes with rainbow haloes around lights
- Nausea and vomiting.
If you experience any of these symptoms within 24 hours of the screening test, go to the eye unit or accident and emergency department of your local hospital.
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In order to get a clear image of the retina it is important to have fully dilated pupils that do not react to light.
If your pupils are poorly dilated, the image will be inadequate making assessment of diabetic retinopathy difficult or impossible. This puts you at risk of having undetected diabetic retinopathy.
