Rally in the square

Over 100 eye care campaigners rallied in Parliament Square last week to raise awareness of the need for retinopathy screening for all people with diabetes.

Organised by the RNIB and Diabetes UK, the event attracted comedian Jimmy Tarbuck – a sufferer himself and president of Diabetes UK – who addressed participants.

Douglas Smallwood, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: ‘There is no excuse for people to go blind through retinopathy.

The government has made it clear that by June 2006, 70 per cent of people with diabetes should be screened.’