Good Health Starts at Home
Retina Labs is committed to helping you improve and maintain your health and wellbeing.
Retina Labs partners with leading health plans to provide members like you with diabetic eye exams and other preventive health screenings such as HbA1c, kidney health, colon cancer tests and bone mineral density scans—all in the comfort of your own home at a time that’s most convenient for you.
What’s more, we share your test results with you and your primary doctor, so your health remains connected and well managed, and you get referred promptly to the right specialist when needed.
Diabetic Retinopathy: What You Need to Know
Diabetic retinopathy is a common complication of diabetes and is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults. Diabetic retinopathy causes changes to the blood vessels in the back part of the eye, called the retina. This disease happens when there is too much sugar in the blood which causes the blood vessels in the retina to swell and leak fluid or bleed. Left undetected, this kind of damage to the retina can lead to poor vision, and even blindness. Left undetected, this kind of damage to the retina can lead to poor vision, and even blindness.
Normal Retina
Retina Damaged by Diabetic Retinopathy
What Are the Symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy?
In the early stages of the disease, many times there are no symptoms or pain. As some blood vessels get weak and leak fluid or bleed, vision may start to blur.
Who’s at Risk?
If you have diabetes, you could be at risk of diabetic blindness. The longer someone has diabetes, the more likely they are to get diabetic eye disease. The condition can develop in anyone who has Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.
| Type 1 diabetes diagnosis for at least five years | 25% will develop diabetic retinopathy |
| Type 1 diabetes diagnosis for more than ten years | 60% will develop diabetic retinopathy |
| Type 2 diabetes diagnosis for more than ten years | 53% will develop diabetic retinopathy |
Moreover, the risk for diabetic retinopathy increases with age and at higher risk if you smoke. Elevated blood sugar over an extended period leads to a higher risk for diabetic retinopathy as well. Essentially, the longer you have diabetes, the older you get combined with lifestyle and dietary habits and the less controlled your blood sugar is, the more likely you are to develop this eye complication.
What Is a Diabetic Retinal Eye Exam?
The exam is a quick, painless test that takes a photo of the back of the eye. A device called a fundus camera takes the photo. Your retinal images are analyzed for abnormalities like swelling, leaking, or closing-off of blood vessels.
This analysis helps determine if the disease is present, how far it has progressed and whether or not you need to be referred to an ophthalmologist for follow up or treatment.
Why Should You Get Screened for Diabetic Eye Disease?
In its early stages, patients may not notice any symptoms or changes to their eyesight and cannot tell that this condition is damaging their eyes.
If not found and treated in a timely manner, damaged vision can be permanent. If found early, treatment is effective at reducing the risk of visual impairment and blindness.
Early detection, timely treatment and appropriate follow-up can reduce the risk of vision loss in up to 95% of cases.
DETRA’S STORY
Watch how diabetic blindness can strike at any moment.
Did you know…
- That living with diabetes puts you at risk of going blind?
- There are no early symptoms. Vision loss can strike suddenly?
- An annual diabetic eye exam can help prevent blindness in 9 out of 10 people?
- A diabetic eye exam can detect eye disease before vision loss occurs?
- That more than 95% of diabetic blindness cases may be prevented with early detection?
- Diabetes has taken so much from you already. Don’t let it take your eyesight too!
Visit Benefits
Preventive health screenings are essential for the health and wellbeing of any individual, especially those living with chronic diseases such as diabetes. Preventive screenings, carried out at appropriate intervals can allow you safeguard your health, maintain or improve your quality of life, and prevent disability and even premature death.
For people living with diabetes, a diabetic retinopathy exam is a critical preventive screening test that can save your vision. Retina Labs makes it easy for you to get screened for diabetic eye disease by coming to your home when it’s convenient for you. What’s more, we can carry out additional screenings for HbA1c, kidney health, colon cancer and bone mineral density scans for women over 65 who have experienced a recent fracture. When your tests are resulted, both you and your primary care doctor will get the results so that you can make informed decisions about your health.
Benefits
- Quick, easy and convenient
- Covered by your health plan at no cost to you
- Results sent to you and shared with your primary care doctor
- Easy to understand medical reports with care plan recommendations
Don’t wait to complete these critical screenings.
Your health depends on it.
95% of patients would recommend Retina Labs to family member or friend.
Testimonials
Read what patients have to say about their Retina Labs in-home experience:
FAQ
Retina Labs partners with leading health plans to offer in-home diabetic eye exams and other preventive health screenings at no cost to plan members. Once a health plan identifies members who might benefit from one of our preventive screening tests, a member from the Retina Labs outreach team contacts the member to schedule an in-home visit. These visits are then confirmed and performed by a Retina Labs technologist.
We offer the following tests: 1) diabetic eye exams, 2) Bone mineral density scans, 3) hemoglobin A1C, 4) microalbumin urine for kidney disease and 5) colon cancer Fecal Immunochemical Tests (FIT). It is up to your health plan to specify what tests need to be administered.
Your in-home preventive screening service should be fully covered by your health plan and at no cost to you. In some rare cases, a small co-pay may be required for certain commercial health plans. Please check with your health plan by calling the number on the back of your member ID card.
It is best to call our member contact center at 1-888-238-2460 or complete the form below to submit a scheduling request.
An in-home preventive screening assessment is conducted by one of Retina Labs highly trained, professional imaging technologists. During the visit, the technologist will explain the testing procedure and answer any of your questions. Additional screenings tests may include, kidney health urine, colorectal cancer screening, bone mineral density screening and HbA1c test which is used to diagnose or manage diabetes. The visit will take only 15-20 minutes to complete allowing you to get on with your day.
No. Retina Labs uses a device that does not require eye drops. Occasionally, we may require a patient to “self-dilate” by sitting in a dark room for 15 minutes.
Following your appointment, your test results will be mailed to you within 5-10 business days. If you have not received your test results, please contact us at 1-888-238-2460.
Yes. A copy of your results are sent to your attributed primary care provider. If you do not have a primary care provider, please contact your health plan.
You should contact your primary care provider to discuss your test results and referral options. If you do not have a primary care provider and your test results show that you need to be referred to an ophthalmologist, please contact your health plan.
That depends. In order to be eligible for any of our tests, your name must be on our eligibility list as provided to us by your health plan. Please contact your health plan for more information.
Unfortunately, no. We only offer these services to eligible members of health plans with whom we are partnered. Furthermore, at this time, we do not offer services to patients willing to pay out of pocket.
Contact Us
Do you have questions? Would you like to request an in-home visit?
Call us toll free at 1-888-238-2460 or fill in our on-line form below.
COVID-19 Precautions
Retina Labs has taken extra precautions to ensure the safety and security of our members and technologists.
- All our technologists have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
- Technologists continue to self-monitor daily for COVID-19 symptoms. Technologists that experience symptoms are requested to stay home until a negative rapid antigen test is obtained.
- In-home, our technologists continue to wear high quality masks and surgical gloves and will offer members one if requested.
- All our medical equipment is sanitized prior to use.