title: Retinopathy--screening recommendations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Type 2 diabetes mellitus is an increasingly prevalent presentation in Australian general practice, where most patients receive their preventive care and management.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this article we discuss the relevant issues for clinicians and the screening recommendations for diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Screening for diabetic retinopathy is a crucial component of preventive care, with early identification of change and timely treatment likely to prevent most blindness. Despite this, a quarter of Australians with diabetes are not appropriately screened. General practitioners must take a key role in initiating, delivering or monitoring their patient's diabetic retinopathy screening to reduce preventable blindness from diabetes mellitus. Hypertensive retinopathy indicates end organ disease but regular screening for hypertensive retinopathy is not routinely recommended.
authors.affiliation: Discipline of General Practice, The University of Queensland.
authors.forename: Geoffrey
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Spurling
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Askew
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jackson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009798:Ocular Hypertension / Q000517:prevention & control; D009887:Ophthalmoscopy; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012017:Referral and Consultation