Eye hospital in Philadelphia to give free screenings on Diabetic Eye Screening Day
Free screenings to help prevent vision loss for people with diabetes are happening this Saturday at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia on Diabetic Eye Screening Day.
Jack Mathers gets routine treatments for his eyes to protect the vision he has left.
"If I'm looking at five letters, the one in the middle is missing," he said.
Diabetes caused his vision loss.
"I was worried, am I not going to be able to drive, am I not going to be able to do my job?" he said.
He works on a computer all day and didn't know that diabetes is the most common cause of blindness in working-age Americans.
"Which is a tragedy because so much of it is preventable," said Dr. James Vander, retina specialist at Wills Eye Hospital.
Vander said diabetic retinopathy is treatable when caught early, but that often doesn't happen.
"The most common reason for vision loss in diabetes is swelling of the retina," Vander said. "There are many diabetics with significant eye damage who have no idea they're in trouble."
That's what happened to one Eagles fan who lives in Roxborough.
"It kinda crept up on me, I didn't realize it was happening," said Mathers.
Vander said it's fortunate that Mathers was eventually diagnosed. Many others aren't.
"We see people who have vibrant, fulfilling lives who now can't drive, cant work, can't read, can't take care of themselves because they let it go too long," Vander said.
Vander and the team at Wills Eye Hospital aim to change that with a yearly event that's happening Saturday. It now includes several locations. In Pennsylvania, April 26 has officially become known as Diabetic Eye Screening Day.
"If we can get these people to come in, then we have a chance to help them," Vander said.
It's a quick and easy eye exam for people with diabetes that could save their vision.
You have to make an appointment for the Saturday screening at Wills Eye Hospital.
