Home / Health / High Street Clinics Can Ease A&E Eye Problems
High Street Clinics Can Ease A&E Eye Problems
28 Jul
Summary
- Opticians offer free NHS clinics for eye issues
- 400,000 A&E visits last year for treatable eye conditions
- Better use of opticians could save 400,000 A&E visits
Free NHS eye clinics are available at high street opticians, yet many people remain unaware and instead attend A&E for conditions like conjunctivitis and dry eye. New analysis indicates that up to 400,000 of the 780,000 eye-related A&E visits in England last year could have been safely managed by community opticians. The Association of Optometrists (AOP) is calling for enhanced funding for these minor and urgent eye care services.
Adam Sampson, AOP Chief Executive, stressed that emergency departments should not be the default for eye problems, highlighting that many patients attend A&E due to a perceived lack of alternatives. The AOP aims to eliminate the 'postcode lottery' where access to these free clinics varies across England, ensuring consistent community-based eye care.
Emergency departments are currently under immense pressure, with A&E waiting times remaining high. Improved funding for community eye care could significantly reduce demand on A&E services. Royal College of Emergency Medicine vice president, Dr. James Gagg, supports better-resourced community eye care as a measure to tackle overcrowding and improve patient care within the NHS.
