Diabetic Eye Screening (DES) Social Media Toolkit

In Scotland, the DES Programme invites those aged 12 and over with type 1 or 2 diabetes. The purpose of DES is to find changes to the retina before someone has any symptoms of sight loss. It is a key part of a person’s diabetes care as early treatment can reduce or prevent sight loss.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) has created a social media toolkit to promote diabetic eye screening. All resources can be downloaded on the PHS Marketing Resource Centre. 

Please regularly feed these into your planned activity, using the hashtag #DESScot. Using the hashtag is important as it allows us to monitor usage, which informs future campaigns.

You can also follow and share content on X @myvisionmatters or on Instagram @nationaleyehealthweek during National Eye Health Week to help raise awareness. 

As well as social media assets, you’ll find a new ‘what to expect at your DES appointment’ video. This video is hosted on NHS Inform and can be downloaded via the PHS Marking Resource Centre for local use in waiting room areas or other appropriate settings. Additionally, a short version of the video is available for use on social media.

PHS is also pleased to launch a new DES professional brief for professionals who work with people with diabetes. We encourage you to share this document with any services/people you feel would benefit.

Please feel free to share these resources with any relevant channels or networks.

Your support is much appreciated.