RELEASE: June 14 , 2005

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Davy tours diabetic eye screenings at CAMcare

Of 55 screened, 38 percent found to have eye diseases

“Of the 55 citizens with diabetes who received our free eye screenings, sponsored by New Jersey 's Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI), 21 people were found to have eye diseases, and they didn't know it,” said Human Services Commissioner James M. Davy after his June 14 th visit to the screenings held that morning at CAMcare Health Corporation in Camden. CBVI schedules regular eye screenings across the state with community partners such as CAMcare.

Davy visited the various screening stations where CBVI conducted tests for the detection of diabetic eye disease - Diabetic Retinopathy, Cataract and Glaucoma – as well as gave nutritional tips and counseling. CBVI and CAMcare screened 55 patients and found 21 consumers with eye diseases. Five needed CBVI services, six needed immediate care by a private eye doctor, nine needed care but not immediately, and one was given a prescription for eye drops.

“Partnering with “fixed sites” such as CAMcare improves CBVI's ability to re-visit certain communities throughout the years, especially in cities such as Camden where eight (8) percent of CAMcare's 26,000 consumers have diabetes -- higher than the statewide average of six (6) percent,” said Vito DeSantis, executive director of CBVI, who also toured the screening.

The main objective of the Diabetic Eye Disease Detection program:

•  Provide FREE dilated eye examinations and diabetic instructions to individuals with diabetes who do not have financial resources or health insurance.

•  Offer foot, kidney & blood pressure screenings at many sites [such as CAMcare]

•  Hold screenings throughout the year in counties with large indigent or minority populations.

Sunil Parikh, who spearheads CBVI's Project Prevention effort, said “We want to promote awareness across New Jersey about the importance of annual eye examinations and other measures to prevent blindness and other diabetes-related complications such as cardio-vascular disease, kidney failure, and circulatory ailments that can lead to amputation of body limbs.”

The CBVI professionals who conducted the June 14 th screenings were ophthalmologist Jean-Claude Pilet, MD; field reps Barbara Kruichak and Miguel Ortega; dietician Maria Colon; coordinator of the diabetic education program Ahmus Mahmoud; and social worker Ella Murphy.

The professionals at CAMcare who helped facilitate the screenings were certified diabetes educator Debbie Horowitz, RN, DNE; public affairs officer Cynthia Primas Taylor; vice president and medical director Sharon Buttress, MD; and president and CEO Mark K. Bryant, MBA.

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