23 March 2023
Today (23 March) marks World Optometry Day 2023, a global initiative that aims to raise awareness of optometry as a healthcare profession and highlight the contribution that the profession makes to ensuring the public’s eye health.
The theme of this year’s campaign is Expanding optometry’s role – the time is now. To celebrate the day, OT spoke to optometrists in a range of settings about why they entered optometry, the profession’s highlights, and their predictions for the future.
Sarah Hardy, regional optometrist lead at SpaMedica
Optometrist Sarah Hardy’s interest in optometry was initially sparked when she attended her first eye exam as a teenager. Fascinated by the equipment and the way the optometrist was able to problem solve, she went on to complete work experience at the practice before becoming an optical assistant and going on to graduate from the University of Manchester in 2012. Her career highlight to date has been gaining her IP qualification, as well as supporting the training and development of optometrist peers in SpaMedica to achieve this qualification too.
What is the most important development in the profession since you qualified and why?
Whilst this is still in developmental stages, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in optometric care – there are so many opportunities to improve patient care and surgery outcomes. I am aware of it being used in diagnostic imaging analysis and biometry. Whilst I believe it will never replace the face-to-face consultation, it provides exciting opportunities for improved patient care in the future.
What is optometry’s main challenge currently and why?
I think the biggest challenges are the current waiting lists for referrals to hospital and for follow-up appointments – this is due to clinic availability and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. I think this causes concern for patients and practitioners, delays in appointments leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment, and has the potential to impact so many patients.
What will optometry look like in 2033?
I would like to think optometrists in both hospital and community settings will be more involved in shared care alongside ophthalmologists for conditions such as glaucoma, cataract, medical retina, and urgent eye conditions. I would hope this would provide easier access to ophthalmic care for patients. I would love to see an opportunity for optometrists to further develop and maybe even convert to training in ophthalmology, and of course I expect the use of AI to be more commonplace.
I think the biggest challenges are the current waiting lists for referrals to hospital and for follow-up appointments
Dr Scott Mackie, director at Mackie Opticians, a Hakim Group Independent practice
Senior IP optometrist, Dr Scott Mackie, opted for a career in optics because he “wanted to work with people, not in an office,” and went on to graduate from Glasgow Caledonian University in 1989.
Practising as an optometrist for over three decades, his career highlight to date is being nominated by patients and winning the Scottish Health Awards 2019. Mackie and his optometrist wife, Dr Roisin Mackie, were the first couple to receive the IP qualification in the UK, and Mackie feels that the development of the qualification was “a game changer” for the profession, marking “the start of recognition from ophthalmology colleagues of what we can manage in primary care,” he said.
What is optometry’s biggest success since 2020 and why?
To show their flexibility during the COVID-19 pandemic at performing a variety of roles, from virtual shared care to injecting at vaccination clinics and working within multi-disciplinary teams during a stressful time for all.
What is optometry’s main challenge currently and why?
Getting proper respect and funding from central and local government and the NHS to allow patient-centred care for all, not just the wealthy who are being driven to private healthcare.
What will optometry look like in 2033?
Delegated refraction to dispensing opticians and other healthcare professions. More community ophthalmology models for IP optometrists, which will be entry level, with more delegated functions allowing secondary care to focus on delivering surgical and more specialist outcomes.
Amanda Bargewell, operational director at Newmedica, Newcastle
Optometrist Amanda Bargewell graduated from the University of Ulster in 2012 and identifies the most memorable moment of her career over the last decade as the moment she qualified in IP. Calling it as “a hight point,” in her career, she explained it has “allowed me to treat and manage patients much more effectively as well as making me a better, more confident practitioner.”
For, Bargewell, who selected optometry as a career path at the age of 13 with support from her careers teacher, the most important development for the profession during her career has been optical coherence tomography becoming more mainstream. She said, “it has been a revelation for primary care,” as it has enabled optometrists to visualise the retina/optic disc in more detail than before and therefore manage and refer pathology earlier.
What is optometry’s biggest success since 2020 and why?
Dealing with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, both from a patient care and business point of view, has been a challenge for the optometry profession but one which we have met with determination and enthusiasm. Collaboration with colleagues across the eye health sector will continue to be key. At Newmedica ophthalmologists work closely with optometrist colleagues within the business and throughout the sector to improve patient care.
What is optometry’s main challenge currently and why?
The growing myopia epidemic is a concern for both optometrists and our patients. Keeping up to date with the ongoing innovations and studies will be very important to keep people informed. Working with the growing AI sector may pose a challenge also, as it has the potential to change the face of our whole career. Optometrists need to embrace technology developments that benefit our patients.
What will optometry look like in 2033?
I think more patients will be managed in primary care than hospital as there will be more schemes enabling optometrists to deal with a variety of conditions. AI may be a big part of the optician journey as there are already machines and software to subjectively measure refractive error, so these innovations are only set to continue and improve.
The growing myopia epidemic is a concern for both optometrists and our patients. Keeping up to date with the ongoing innovations and studies will be very important to keep people informed
Suzanne Wadsworth, senior optometrist and director at BBR Optometry, a Hakim Group independent practice
Graduating from Cardiff University in 1993, Suzanne Wadsworth had become aware of optometry at the age of nine, when, as a high myope, she started wearing spectacles. Exploring her career options, a medical career was high on the agenda. However, “I didn’t like blood,” she admitted, adding that “optometry seemed a good alternative.” She counts a career highlight as being able to “be a clinician, trainer and business owner, all whilst raising three children,” adding that her recent return to study for her IP qualification has also been memorable.
What is the most important development in the profession since you qualified?
Optometry being recognised as an important part of primary care, and the advent of enhanced services within the community.
What will optometry look like in 2033?
There will be a high level of optometrists who have embraced further qualifications, who have completed IP, medical retina, glaucoma qualifications, and are helping primary care.
Irinder Khakha, ophthalmic director at Specsavers Hayes and Lombardy
Graduating from City, University of London in 2008, Irinder Khakha decided to embark on a career in optometry as it afforded him the opportunity to “manage and treat ocular disease and identify life threatening conditions while having the opportunity to be a practice owner and positively impact my local community.”
Having practised as an optometrist for almost 15 years now, he identifies his career highlight as becoming an independent prescriber in 2016, labelling when the first cohort of optometrists passed the qualification 2008 as the most important development for the profession since he qualified.
What is optometry’s main challenge currently and why?
There remain large discrepancies between available services across the country, with some areas still having no active service at all and some having minimal and restrictive services. Optometrists still fight for recognition in some areas and remain a huge untapped resource in managing conditions that clog up NHS acute trust outpatient clinics that could have competently been managed by a primary care optometrist.
What will optometry look like in 2033?
Optometrists in the UK will be commissioned to diagnose, treat and manage all non-surgical ocular disease in the community and be recognised as the first port of call for patients with acute and chronic eye disease far more widely than they are today.
There will be a far higher proportion of practices offering a broader and more robust scope of optometric practice, including medical contact lenses, therapeutic dry eye treatments and adopt novel therapies of the time more quickly than they do today.
Hospital optometrists will also broaden their scope of practice and be more heavily involved in laser treatments, minor operations and intravitreal therapies, as well as having the ability to prescribe parenterally administered drugs for ocular conditions. I would love to look back in 2033 and be shown to have underestimated the potential of the profession and not overestimated it.
Community practice will need to adapt and change to enable greater communication with patients about the benefits of eye examinations with an optometrist. There will undoubtedly be some commoditisation from those seeking to disrupt but as a sector we can counter this by engaging our patients and reinforcing the importance of the clinical services we offer.
I would love to look back in 2033 and be shown to have underestimated the potential of the profession and not overestimated it
Anthony Josephson, director at Maskell and Josephson – the optometrists, a Hakim Group independent practice
Senior optometrist, Anthony Josephson, graduated with a Master’s in optometry from the University of Manchester in 2009. He felt a career in optometry would provide the opportunity to help others, while being blended in a retail environment provided the opportunity for growth both clinically and in business. He acquired his practice in 2017, a moment he calls the most memorable in his career to date.
What is optometry’s biggest success since 2020 and why?
In March 2020, for many businesses, it became about simple survival. A lot of practices have evolved and emerged from the pandemic stronger and better than before.
What will optometry look like in 2033?
Much like it does now. However, the chains are getting better so the more basic independents will be fewer, and small chains of independents will be greater as it becomes easier to survive what the world throws our way when in a larger volume.
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