Study finds enhanced services in optometry practices cut waiting times

A new study has illustrated the benefits of managing eye conditions through enhanced optometric services in local practices, including “drastically” reducing patient waiting times.

The study, published in Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, explored the value of enhanced optometric services for conditions such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and glaucoma in primary care optometry settings instead of hospital eye services.

Findings demonstrated that enhanced optometry services in community settings can deliver the same quality of care as hospital eye services, while reducing patient waiting times and costs for the NHS, researchers suggested.

The study found that for suspected nAMD, waiting times were shortened to between four to five days, while glaucoma monitoring waiting times were reduced to five days.

Researchers noted that in hospital eye services, patients often faced much longer waits.

The waiting lists themselves were “dramatically reduced,” the study indicated, with only three people waiting for nAMD and five for glaucoma in primary care-based services. This is compared to 216 and 5691 people, respectively, in hospital eye services.

The researchers highlighted that primary care-based optometric services provide a comparable patient experience to the hospital eye service, noting: “They also offer a financially viable and scalable solution to manage the increasing number of people with eye diseases.”

The study was led by Professor Barbara Ryan, from Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and Cardiff University, in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team from Swansea University, the University of South Wales, and Sight Cymru. The research was funded by Health and Care Research Wales.

Ryan commented: “Currently, patients are at risk of losing their sight because of delays waiting for hospital eye appointments. These research findings give hope that there is a solution on every local High Street.”

The research initially focused on three health boards in Wales, and the service has since been rolled out across the country.

Dr Mari Jones, of Swansea University’s Centre for Health Economics, said: “This project has shown that empowering local optometrists in local optician practices to manage conditions like nAMD and glaucoma can drastically reduce patient wait times and costs without compromising on quality of care.

“By shifting care into community settings, they have shown that patients can receive timely, expert care close to home, while hospital specialists focus on complex cases,” Jones added.

She continued: “This model not only enhances patient outcomes but also optimises resources across the NHS.”