Grant: Knowledge Translation Supplement

Diabetes can affect the back of the eye by destroying blood vessels in the retina, a condition called diabetic retinopathy. This condition is one of the leading causes of visual loss and blindness in Canada. Our research has shown that diabetic retinopathy has a significant effect on quality of life and that treatments are very cost effective. New guidelines are now being put forward by the Eye Health Council of Ontario to try to address the exploding number of cases of diabetic retinopathy. These guidelines call for a shared collaborative approach to screening, diagnosing and treating this condition. This KTS grant is to request funds to create a multimedia clinical case that optometrists in Canada can learn about this important findings. The case will be disseminated through Optocase.com, an educational site with over 3,000 registered optometrists. The case will be marketed online through Google, and Facebook. Parts of the case including the video segment will also be disseminated online through Insidermedicine, YouTube, iTunes and the animation will be disseminated through iPads. Industry sales representatives will also be willing to raise awareness of the case on directly calls with optometrists.