“I strongly believe that optometry has a huge part to play”

Ophthalmologist and medical director of Newmedica, Nigel Kirkpatrick, emphasised the importance of collaboration in addressing the cataract surgery backlog during his presentation at 100% Optical (25-27 February).

Kirkpatrick shared that that Newmedica performs between 10-15% of cataract surgery in England.

He highlighted that optometrists working in primary care can ease the pressure that secondary care is currently facing.

“I strongly believe that optometry has a huge part to play in cataract surgery follow up,” he said.

“Patients don’t want to travel to a clinic if they don’t have to. They know and trust their community optometrist,” Kirkpatrick added.

He noted that around two out of three patients take advice from their optometrist about cataract surgery providers.

Turning to the threshold for referring a patient for cataract surgery, Kirkpatrick highlighted regional inconsistencies.

“It is a patchwork quilt in the NHS at the moment. It very much depends on what is happening in your area,” he said.

Kirkpatrick highlighted that detailed information from optometrists about patients being put forward for cataract surgery was useful.

He added that it can be helpful to know the patient’s desired outcome from surgery – for example, they may wish to do near work without glasses and would prefer not to be emmetropic following the operation.

In the future, Kirkpatrick sees a greater degree of collaboration between primary and secondary care – with optometrists gaining the ability to see medical records.

“You will be able to see what we have said in clinic and see the optical coherence tomography scans,” he shared.

“This is all in the future but certainly it will happen.”