O R I G I N A L R E S E A R C H Registration of visual impairment due to diabetic retinopathy in a subpopulation of Cambridgeshire Patel Gordon-Bennett1 Aseema Misra2 Wendy Newsom1 Declan Flanagan2 1Eye Department, Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Hinchingbrooke Park, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, UK; 2Eye Department, Addenbrookes Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK Correspondence: Patel Gordon-Bennett Eye Department, Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Hinchingbrooke Park, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 6NT, United Kingdom Tel +44 1480 416416 Fax +44 1480 416516 Email patelgordon@yahoo.co.uk Background/Aims: The UK National Screening Committee (NSC) has set 18 standards for diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening services in England and Wales, the ﬁrst of which is to reduce new visual impairment (VI) due to DR by 10% within 5 years. This study examined the incidence of VI due to DR in Cambridgeshire (City, South, and Huntingdonshire) in order to establish a baseline rate of VI registration. Methods: A retrospective review of all certiﬁcates of visual impairment (CVI) for 2004 and 2005 was conducted. Hospital records of patients registered due to DR were reviewed to ascertain conformity to NSC Standards. The incidence of VI registration due to DR was calculated. Results: The number of registrations predominantly due to DR was 18; 13 visually impaired and 5 with severe VI. The rates of VI and severe VI predominantly due to DR were 17.1 and 6.5 per million per year, respectively. The VI and severe VI registration rates in the diabetic population were 600 and 230 per million per year, respectively. Conclusion: The severe VI registration rate due to DR lies within the national standard. The VI registration rate exceeds 1990–1991 national standards but lies within 1999–2000 national ﬁgures. Keywords: diabetic retinopathy, visual impairment, severe visual impairment, registration, certiﬁcation of visual impairment Introduction The World Health Organization has made prevention of visual impairment (VI) an international priority. In order to prevent VI, data on incidence and causes of VI need to be obtained. From this data, priorities for prevention, treatment, and management can be identiﬁed, and strategies and resources allocated appropriately. For many years, diabetes has been a leading cause of VI in many countries, and still takes a major toll on VI. In England and Wales, the UK National Screening Committee for Diabetic Retinopathy has set 18 service objectives and quality assurance standards for diabetic retinopathy screening services.1,2 The ﬁrst service objective is to reduce new blindness due to diabetic retinopathy (DR).2 It stipulates that local services will need to prospectively audit both certiﬁcations of visual impairment (CVI) and incidence of VI predominantly due to DR in order to establish a baseline. The standard accept- able annual registration rate for severe VI and VI due to DR is 9.5 and 9.3 per million per year for England and Wales, respectively. These ﬁgures have been derived from national data in 1990–1991.3 The minimum standard achievable is a 10% reduction in severe VI and VI registration rate within 5 years of the start of the screening program. The desirable standard is 40% reduction. From 2006 and annually thereafter, DR screening programmes in England and Wales will be required to submit an annual report to the National Screening Programme, containing general information about the service offered and information to support Clinical Ophthalmology 2009:3 75–79 © 2009 Gordon-Bennett et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd.This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, provided the original work is properly cited. 75