The Kilimanjaro Diabetic Programme: the development of a sustainable regional eye health screening program to prevent blindness among diabetic patients due to diabetic retinopathy

INTERVENTION: Phase I: 1. Intervention group: A digital diabetic retinopathy screening camera will be placed in the diabetic clinic at KCMC 2. Control group: patients will be advised to go to the eye clinic at KCMC for a dilated screening examination by an ophthalmologist 3. All patients will receive 3 information leaflets on diabetic retinopathy and be counselled by the health workers in the diabetic clinic that they should have screening for diabetic retinopathy 4. Visual acuity measurement will be performed and dilating drops installed by the screening team Phase II: 1. The retinopathy screening camera will go to all district diabetic clinics twice in the 6 month intervention period 2. Patients registered at these clinics will all be advised by clinic staff to attend for retinopathy screening 3. The intervention group will receive a text message by mobile phone advising them of the date of the screening and inviting them to come CONDITION: Diabetes mellitus, diabetic retinopathy ; Nutritional, Metabolic, Endocrine ; Diabetes mellitus PRIMARY OUTCOME: Uptake of screening for diabetic retinopathy, measured in August 2011 SECONDARY OUTCOME: Measured in January 2012:; 1. Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in urban and rural diabetic patients in Kilimanjaro region; 2. Prevalence of cataract in urban and rural diabetic patients in Kilimanjaro region INCLUSION CRITERIA: All known adult diabetic patients resident in Kilimanjaro region and attending a diabetic clinic at Kilimanjaro Christain Medical Centre (KCMC) or at one of the district diabetic clinics in the 6 rural districts of Kilimanjaro region