For Simple, Fast Diabetic Screening (NAPSA)—Approximately six million people in the U.S. live with a biological time bomb— undiagnosed diabetes. Since the health threats caused by diabetes often remain unseen during early stages of the disease, many people unknowingly join the growing ranks (estimated 17 million) of those who suffer from one or more of its devastating complications. Diabetes is the fifth-leading cause of death in the U.S. Elevated blood sugar levels from diabetes can cause tiny blood vessels in the eye to weaken, rupture and damage the retina. Each year, more than 12,000 diabetic Ameri- cans lose their eyesight. To help doctors diagnose the disease sooner and implement treatment during its earliest phases, the medical profession has started using a new tool that combines traditional eye examination techniques with the latest digital imaging technology. Ophthalmologists and optometrists now can capture instantly ultra high-resolution digital images that can be reviewed, analyzed, printed and digitally communicated anywhere in the world. The procedure eliminates the process of dilating a patient’s eye. Medical personnel can obtain more information about this new technology by calling 1-800-970-7227. The unique non-invasive design of the Eye Q Digital Retinal Imaging @ System from Canon Medical Systems simplifies diabetic screening. This system provides faster and more accurate information about the disease than conventional methods, andit assists doctors with the diagnosis of the disease and improves the capability to provide superior ophthalmic/optometric care to patients. “We’re looking at a balance between the overall health of the eyes and what the eyes can tell us about the body as a whole,” said Dr. Stanley Anton, who sees patients in the New York metropolitan area andalso has a personal interest in this disease, as his eight-year-old son is diabetic. “By examining the eyes, we can see the onset of diabetes. But we also can see glaucoma and brain tumors manifesting in the eye. This new digital technology allows meto pick up subtleties that I couldn’t see before in the course of my examinations.” The system captures multidimensional images. It has the sensitivity and accuracy to allow detection of early stages of, and small changes in, diabetic retinopathy, and it provides tools for comparison, model building, and statistical and recursive analysis. With high capacity speed, it communicates on a variety of net- works. It can recall images from the database andit can store millions of images without losing quality or compromising data.
