WINNIPEG - More than 400 people in northern Manitoba have taken advantage of a program that monitors the retinas of diabetics to check for vision loss or blindness.
The provincial government says since last spring when the $3 million program began, about 97 people have been referred for further care by specialists in Winnipeg.
Kerri Irvin-Ross, the province's healthy living minister, says changes to the retinas of diabetics is the most common cause of legal blindness in North America, and monitoring can catch problems before they become severe.
Nurses in remote communities use a specialized digital camera to take pictures of patients' eyes, which are then viewed by staff at a Winnipeg hospital to determine if the case should be referred to a specialist.
Marie O'Neill, chief executive of the Burntwood Regional Health Authority, says her region has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the province.
She says the screening program allows patients to have their eyes screened without requiring them to travel long distances to Winnipeg for the service
