DIABETICS in the St Albans area are risking blindness by ignoring invitations for routine tests, health chiefs are warning.

Everybody with diabetes over 12 is offered a test for the early stages of retinopathy, the most common cause of blindness, but many in the west Hertfordshire area, including St Albans, are not taking up the chance, despite letters from their GP surgeries.

Dr Mike Edwards from NHS Hertfordshire said: “When diabetes affects the small blood vessels in the part of the eye called the retina this is known as diabetic retinopathy.

"The retina lines the inside of the eye and acts rather like the film in a camera.

"In the early stages diabetic retinopathy will not affect your sight.

"However if the changes get worse eventually your sight will be affected.

"Screening is an effective way of detecting diabetic retinopathy and early detection means that treatment to prevent sight loss can start quickly.

"The screening is a very simple procedure that consists of eye drops to widen the pupil before a photograph is taken of your eyes.”