Revision of the standards will support delivery of the Diabetic Eye screening programme in Scotland

Healthcare Improvement Scotland are revising standards for the national Diabetic Eye Screening (DES) programme.

Diabetic Eye Screening checks for a condition known as diabetic retinopathy – a leading global cause of Visual Impairment or Blindness. There are no symptoms in the early stages so screening is vital to identify and treat the condition early.

Screening is offered to eligible people aged 12 years or over who have diabetes.

The standards cover:

  • Diabetic eye screening invitation
  • Diabetic eye screening
  • Assessment of images and reporting of screening results
  • Referral to optical coherence tomography or ophthalmology.


For more information and to take part in the consultation survey, visit Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Diabetic Eye Screening website here.

Consultation on the draft standards is open until 27 November 2025.

If you have any issues completing the survey, please contact his.screeningstandards@nhs.scot

End of page.

You may also like:

Back to all news