The Byers Eye Institute at Stanford serves as the center of a Bay Area-wide network of fundus cameras stationed at affiliated primary care and endocrinology clinics. With this network, we have established the Remote Diabetic Eye Care Program designed to increase access to eye exams for patients with diabetes. 

The Remote Diabetic Eye Care Program is part of the nascent Stanford Automated Teleophthalmology and Universal Screening (STATUS) Program, which is implementing artificial intelligence algorithms for image interpretation as well as other digital health innovations to further enhance access to and the efficiency of eye care through telemedicine.    

Diabetic eye disease is the leading cause of blindness in working age adults, and early detection of disease is critical for timely treatment to prevent loss of vision and blindness. Through partnerships with primary care clinics in Santa Clara, Los Gatos, Hayward, Oakland, and Pleasanton, as well as the endocrinology clinic at Stanford, patients with diabetes can get photos of their retinas taken without the need for dilating drops, and a Stanford retina specialist will remotely make a diagnosis.

If no damage or progression is seen, then patients can continue follow up remotely through this program, typically on an annual basis. For more information about our Diabetic Eye Care Program, please contact the clinic closest to you here.

Only patients that are found to have evidence of diabetic damage to their retinas (diabetic retinopathy) are asked to travel to the Byers Eye Institute for treatment or further examination and management. We strongly recommend such patients should come to Stanford - our retina specialists are world leaders in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of diabetic retinopathy, and guide our patients towards their next steps of examination and treatment. They are dedicated to providing care for diabetic patients who screen positive for diabetic eye disease or have any concerns about their vision in the context of their other health care issues. The Byers Eye Institute has the latest diagnostic tools, cameras and retinal scanners to diagnose and monitor the progression of diabetic retinopathy in a state-of-the-art facility. Our providers offer custom-tailored treatments for each patient to maximize visual outcomes by using the latest lasers, surgical systems, and medicines to address diabetic changes that can lead to vision loss.