The Health Services Authority will hold free health screenings on Wednesday, Nov. 9, in relation to the upcoming World Diabetes Day.
Free eye screenings for glaucoma, and blood glucose and cholesterol testing will be available in the Cayman Islands Hospital atrium from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
On Nov, 10, an educational session on diabetes will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Hibiscus Conference Room, featuring ophthalmologist Dr. Helena Cilliers, dietitian Tamara Riley and pharmacist Winsome Jefferson. The session is open to the public, and diabetics, in particular, are encouraged to attend.
The theme for this year’s World Diabetes Day, officially on Nov. 14, is “Eyes on Diabetes,” and the importance of early screening for the condition.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, there were 5,200 cases of diabetes in the Cayman Islands in 2015.
The federation estimates the national prevalence of diabetes among adults in the Cayman Islands is 13.4 percent, slightly higher than the average national prevalence, 12.9 percent, in North America and the Caribbean.
As of last year, there were 415 million adults worldwide living with the disease in 2015 and that number is expected to increase to around 642 million or one in 10 adults by 2040, the federation says. The organization also reports that one in two adults with diabetes is undiagnosed. (Cyman Compass)
