Richard Beaser, MD - A Call to Action for Diabetes Specialists: Your Role in Saving the Eyesight of Patients With Diabetes

PeerView Family Medicine & General Practice CME/CNE/CPE Audio Podcast

Go online to PeerView.com/TFR860 to view the activity, download slides and practice aids, and complete the post-test to earn credit. Who holds the key that can unlock the door to vision-saving treatments for patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME)? The answer is primary diabetes care professionals: Timely screening and referral to eye care professionals can make a real difference between good vision and blindness for patients with DR/DME. The diagnosis and treatment of DR/DME has advanced greatly in the last decade. What can endocrinologists, diabetologists, and primary diabetes care professionals tell their patients to expect when they meet with a retina specialist? In this activity, based on a recent PeerView Live event, leading experts take a well-rounded look at the screening, diagnosis, and referral for treatment of individuals with DR/DME, including a practical review of the evidence for current and emerging treatment options. The experts discuss patient cases with varying degrees of urgency for referral, offering a glimpse into how decisions made by primary diabetes care professionals can speed access to the appropriate eye care professional to directly benefit and improve outcomes for patients with, or at risk for, DR/DME. Upon completion of this activity, participants should be better able to: Describe the roles of diabetes specialists in the screening and referral process for DR/DME and other diabetic eye diseases; Coordinate timely and appropriate referrals to eye care specialists who can utilize effective treatment regimens for DR/DME and other diabetic eye diseases; and Incorporate interprofessional and multidisciplinary strategies to overcome barriers to referral using an integrated system of care approach for screening, diagnosis, and treatment of vision-threatening diabetic eye complications such as DR/DME.