Case Study: The Role of the Optometrist in Cataract Care
22 February 2022
In a new case study, we’ve been looking at the role of optometrists across the entire cataract care pathway, encompassing pre and post cataract care, following the LOCSU pathway, in primary care and within the hospital.
Our study focuses on the success of the Manchester cataract service which has grown since its inception in 2016 to serve a population of approximately 2.8M people.
It allows quicker direct referral for patients to be seen at location of their choice whilst ensuring that conversion to surgery rates remain high. In turn capacity has been released within the hospital.
The improved care pathway allows more care closer to home for the patient, often with a familiar optometrist. The direct sharing of information on an online portal allows fast exchange of information between primary and secondary care.
The use of optometrists in both primary and secondary care has improved capacity for other specialty staff including ophthalmic doctors and nurses leaving them free to see more complex cases.
Ravi Ahluwalia, lead Cataract Optometrist at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital said:
“The brilliant thing about community follow up is that primary care optometrists have the skills to examine these patients make a decision on what is required. This is the preferred post-operative pathway as the patient is being examined by a clinician, they more than likely know well, who have their previous records.”
The cataract service in Manchester is a good example of collaboration across primary and secondary care.