“Glaucoma services should be accessible across the entire UK”

Early detection and management of this condition is vital as glaucoma causes irreversible vision loss and potential blindness. Most worryingly, we know half of all glaucoma patients don’t know they have it. As optometrists we all have a responsibility to do more to educate the public and play a bigger role in the management of cases.

Optometrists are perfectly positioned to support glaucoma care by refining referrals to ensure patients are seen in the appropriate department at the correct time, as well as by monitoring stable glaucoma.

Optometrists must play an increasingly important role in glaucoma co-management, especially considering how the workforce is upskilling with higher qualifications

The role optometrists can play

Optometrists provide significant benefits to patients with glaucoma in the community. We already have good relationships with these patients, making them comfortable overall. Patients are also often local to a practice, and offering this care in the community provides them with access to expert clinicians and teams, as well as easy access to parking and convenient hours.

Optometrists must play an increasingly important role in glaucoma co-management, especially considering how the workforce is upskilling with higher qualifications.

I highly recommend that optometrists pursue higher qualifications, for example the professional certificate in glaucoma. Personally, obtaining this certification has improved my expertise and equipped me with the advanced knowledge necessary to accurately detect and manage glaucoma cases.

In my role as a clinical performance consultant at Specsavers, the qualification has also helped me support colleagues delivering glaucoma care on the ground.

I found completing the certificate highly rewarding. It enhanced my understanding of the condition and provided valuable practical skills to use in practice. Applying these skills to help others is very gratifying.

I believe that, as a minimum, glaucoma referral refinement and stable glaucoma monitoring services would be ideally suited to community optometry

The impact of glaucoma services

Enhanced glaucoma services have been successfully implemented in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, but are limited in England, resulting in a “postcode lottery” for patients and practices. Optometrists, many with glaucoma training, are ready and able to support regions where community glaucoma services are not yet available.

In my role I have the privilege of seeing colleagues provide exceptional glaucoma care within the community. This experience strengthens my conviction that glaucoma services should be accessible across the entire UK. In particular, I believe that, as a minimum, glaucoma referral refinement and stable glaucoma monitoring services would be ideally suited to community optometry.

A significant obstacle to the expansion of glaucoma services currently is the issue of funding and local commissioning in England. Despite the availability of numerous pathways and established case studies that illustrate the effectiveness of these services, securing local commissioning remains a considerable challenge. Moreover, training programme such as the professional certificate in glaucoma and WOPEC glaucoma level 2 are readily accessible to enhance practitioners’ skills.

To optometrists considering upskilling in this area, I say: ‘Go for it.’Returning to learning might seem daunting, but courses are flexible and enjoyable. They fit around your commitments, making time management easier. The knowledge and skills you gain will enhance your professional capabilities and improve patient care. Embrace the chance to grow in your field.