UPMC Provided Free Screenings as Part of State-wide Diabetic Eye Screening Day
By: Elaine Vitone
UPMC participated in Pennsylvania’s first-ever statewide diabetic eye screening event on April 26 to prevent one of the leading causes of vision loss in working-age adults, diabetic retinopathy.
UPMC optometrists and ophthalmologists performed free screenings for eight participants at 9th Street Clinic in McKeesport, a walk-in clinic that serves uninsured patients. Additionally, for insured patients, UPMC Vision Institute in Pittsburgh provided screenings for 10 participants, and Sheep Inc. Health Center in Penn Hills for 16.
The participating sites were chosen based on their geographic areas’ high prevalence of diabetes as well as their gaps in vision care, said Zeila Hobson, community outreach and remote access initiatives manager for ophthalmology and otolaryngology at UPMC.
“This is a pilot event for us,” said Hobson. “We are looking forward to seeing how we can expand in the future. We expect to level-up this event next year.”
Dr. Yui Sugiura, medical director of the 9th Street Clinic and associate program director at UPMC McKeesport Family Medicine Residency, said that when 9th Street was invited to participate in the event, she jumped at the chance. “We see a lot of patients with diabetes and hypertension,” Sugiura said. “This is a perfect opportunity to help our patients stay on top of screenings.” The team flagged three patients requiring immediate follow-up for degenerative eye disease, including diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. The remaining patients will receive annual follow-up to monitor the development of diabetic retinopathy.
“We have treatments that can prevent vision loss caused by diabetic retinopathy, but they work best at early stages, often when there are no symptoms,” said Dr. Evan “Jake” Waxman, a University of Pittsburgh professor of ophthalmology who provided screenings at UPMC Vision Institute, where he practices comprehensive ophthalmology. “That’s why everyone with diabetes should have an eye exam every year. Unfortunately, fewer than half of people who should, do. We want to help by making it easier to do the right thing.”
Annual diabetic eye screenings en masse began in Philadelphia three years ago. The effort expanded statewide for the first time this year, and a Pennsylvania State House of Representatives resolution named Saturday, April 26, 2025, “Diabetic Eye Screening Day.”
