An evaluation of optometrists' ability to correctly identify and manage patients with ocular disease in the accident and emergency department of an eye hospital

Abstract

There was good agreement in both the diagnosis and management plan between optometrists and the ophthalmologist. This study has shown that optometrists can potentially work safely in an A&E department of a busy eye hospital.

Patterns of ophthalmological complaints presenting to a dedicated ophthalmic Accident & Emergency department: inappropriate use and patients' perspective

“…Hospital optometrists have been found to be competent in working in an A&E setting15 and, in addition, the Department of Health in the UK has recently granted suitably trained optometrists the rights to extend their therapeutic prescribing powers in the form of Additional Supply, Supplementary and, more recently, Independent prescribing 16. To gain these qualifications, further specialist training in the form of practice-based learning in an ophthalmic A&E department is required, and this will allow optometrists—both hospital and community—to have an extended formulary of topical agents to manage non-sight threatening conditions such as dry eyes and superficial eye injuries.…”

National survey of the management of eye emergencies in the accident and emergency departments by senior house officers: 10 years on--has anything changed?

“…The level of shared care with A&E nurses, doctors and optometrists will have to increase in order to provide optimal emergency ophthalmic care to patients. In recent times, reductions in doctors’ working hours and changes in hospital staffing levels have emphasised these changes in ophthalmic healthcare delivery, the success of which has been shown with optometrists in both the identification and management of ophthalmic emergencies4 as well as long-term management of more chronic conditions such as glaucoma 5…”

The urgent need to develop emergency EYE care in the UK: the way forward?

“…6,[15][16][17][18] The fact that an EEC MDT can function well is beyond debate, but this does not guarantee that appropriate staff can be recruited and many interviewees reported valuable MDT members being difficult to replace on leaving.…”