I received an SMS after the review of my photos. What does it mean?

Retscreen assesses and grades retinal images to international standards. It means that all images are evaluated in detail by trained personnel or specialists in eye diseases. And to see if there are any diabetic changes on the retina, what we call diabetic retinopathy.

The Retscreen provides six possible feedbacks on SMS about findings and about the time for the subsequent examination after the review of the images:

Hi. We have reviewed your retinal images. The images do not show any diabetic changes. You will receive a new eye examination in two years.

It means that there are no diabetic changes in the images. Everything is normal.

Hi. We have reviewed your retinal images. They show slight diabetic changes that do not require treatment or other measures. You will receive a new eye examination in two years.

It means that there are very few diabetic changes in the images. Modest changes have no visual impact and require no treatment. Follow-up with a photo is enough every two years.

Hi. A specialist has now reviewed your retinal images. Images show slight diabetic changes that do not require treatment or other measures. You will receive a new eye examination in one year.

It means that there are some more diabetic changes in the pictures. However, the changes have no visual impact and do not require treatment. Photo follow-up is required once a year.

Hi. A specialist has now reviewed your retinal images. Images show diabetic changes that require an ophthalmologist examination. You will receive a referral for such examination to your nearest ophthalmologist.

It means there are diabetic changes (retinopathy) in the images that require extensive examination by an ophthalmologist. That is a regular examination by an ophthalmologist and is usually examined under a microscope and scanning the etina with OCT- instrument.

The condition also requires closer follow-up, depending on the condition. Further investigations in the Retscreen system will stop, and a specialist will take care of you.

Hi. A specialist has now reviewed your retinal images. Images show other changes that require further examination by an ophthalmologist, but no diabetic changes. You will receive a referral for such examination to your nearest ophthalmologist. You will receive a new call for a regular photo examination in one or two years.

Sometimes, images also show other things in the eye that can affect vision. These can be, for example, other blood vessel changes and possible glaucoma. You will then receive a referral to an additional examination by an ophthalmologist. The diabetes follow-up will go as usual in the Retscreen system.

Hi. A specialist has now reviewed your retinal images. The images are not suitable for the assessment/grading of diabetic changes. You will receive a referral for an extended examination to your nearest ophthalmologist.

Sometimes, it's hard to get good enough photos. It may be due to several reasons, but the most common are cataracts, corneal opacities, or other obscurations that make shooting difficult. You will also receive a referral for an extended examination by an ophthalmologist. Further photo checks at Retscreen are then waited until the condition is resolved (for example, surgery for cataracts), or all additional follow-ups will occur at the ophthalmologist.