Northampton optometrist on government changes that could see common eye problems treated on high street
Common and emergency eye conditions could be treated on the high street under new rules to allow optometrists and opticians access to more medicines.
A Northampton optometrist is cautiously optimistic as it's revealed common and emergency eye conditions could be treated on the high street under new rules to allow optometrists and opticians access to more medicines.
Changes proposed by the Government - aimed at shifting more care into the community and cutting pressure on GPs - would give those working in eye care a greater role in diagnosing patients and prescribing drugs for issues like dry eye, severe allergy and bacterial conjunctivitis.
Optometrists and contact lens opticians would be able to sign off on prescription-only medicines in an emergency or for the prescription to be filled locally in a pharmacy.
The medicines include acetylcysteine, which us used to treat tear film abnormalities in the management of dry eye where usual methods are not working.
Dr Keyur Patel works at Tompkins Knight and Son in Northampton.
He's concerned with how it would be implemented, after previous announcements never made it to Northamptonshire:
"There was an initiative called CUES, which was COVID urgent eye service that was meant to give the general public access to eye care.
"And it was meant to go out across the country. So every region was meant to have this urgent access system that was going to happen. And I'm, you know, I'm in Northamptonshire. We never did it."
Meanwhile other changes proposed include the drug diclofenac sodium being prescribed for pain and inflammation after cataract surgery, and to treat seasonal allergic conjunctivitis.
Eslewhere, azithromycin could be used to treat bacterial conjunctivitis alongside the strong antibiotic gentamicin, which can also be used for other infections.
Other drugs that could be prescribed include atropine sulphate and homatropine hydrobromide, which are used to relax the eye to enable accurate eye tests.
This is useful for children and could prevent youngsters needing to go to hospital for a sight test.
Drugs for allergic eye conditions include azelastine hydrochloride, ketotifen, olopatadine and lodoxamide, while other medicines could also be given in an emergency for patients with suspected acute angle closure glaucoma who would otherwise need to go to hospital.
A string of other medicines could also help optometrists and contact lens opticians with the removal of foreign bodies from the eye.
Dr Patel thinks the change could be a positive move, given many optometrists are already skilled in a lot of these medicines:
"GP's, really knowledgeable pharmacists, really knowledgeable, but they don't have the equipment or the training, to really assess the eye.
"So optometry should be the first port of call for all eye conditions in my humble opinion, and if we are able to offer more, that's going to be less pressure on the GPS, less pressure on the hospital eye service and better for the community. But will it happen that that's the real question?"
Health minister Stephen Kinnock, said: "Through our Plan for Change we are shifting more care out of hospital and into the community - getting care to patients' doorsteps by empowering healthcare professionals in communities.
"These proposed changes would unlock the full potential of optometrists and contact lens opticians, cutting red tape and making it easier for patients to get treatment for minor eye conditions, such as allergic conjunctivitis, without the need to visit their GP or hospital unnecessarily - freeing up appointments in hospital and primary care."