THOUSANDS of patients who would have previously had to come into hospital for their eye care have had their appointments at local opticians, closer to their homes across south Cumbria and north Lancashire.

Since April 2017, an impressive 15,954 appointments have been delivered by optometrists in the community, covering a variety of conditions and services. This has not only reduced travel and associated costs for patients and has meant they have been seen quicker; it has also freed up hospital appointments for people with more complex conditions that can only be managed in a hospital.

For minor eye conditions, such as red eye, sore eye or visual disturbance, people can be referred to the community service directly by their GPs or Emergency Departments or they can make an appointment with the optometrist directly. For other pathways or conditions, patients are referred by other optometrists or discharged from the hospital to the community for follow-up appointments.

Currently, there are 31 optical practices actively participating in the service.