Opticians 'should offer blood sugar checks' (UK)

Opticians should offer blood sugar checks alongside eye tests to help spot patients with undiagnosed diabetes, experts propose. A simple finger prick blood test in this setting could identify hundreds of thousands of people with type 2 diabetes, according to researchers. A pilot study in northern England found the targeted screening picked up one case for every 100 people tested. This would capture people who do not routinely visit their GP, experts say. The Department of Health said people in England aged 40 to 72 were offered a check for diabetes alongside other vascular diseases as part of the NHS Health Check programme