Independent prescribing optometrist and Gloucestershire Local Optical Committee member, Ankur Trivedi, has outlined the benefits of technology that allows community optometrists to access images and data held within the hospital eye service.
Community Ophthalmic Link (COL) was recognised with a 2025 HSJ Partnership Award for Most Impactful Use of Technology on Clinical Practice.
Trivedi told OT that COL is a secure application that can be installed on a computer or phone.
With a patient’s name and NHS number, an optometrist can access the information that is held about a patient within hospital.
“You have to complete a dialogue box to confirm that you have consent from the patient,” The AOP Councillor and Board member explained.
“You then have the same viewing window that you would have in a hospital environment,” he said.
This information may include letters, optical coherence tomography scans and visual field plots.
Trivedi highlighted that the technology means optometrists can confirm what tests and procedures have been carried out within the hospital.
“They know exactly what has happened. It allows for a more complete picture of that patient,” he said.
Trivedi highlighted that COL means there are fewer referrals to hospital where optometrists are unsure of the patient’s clinical status.
He added that the second phase of the project will look at bi-directional flow – where community optometrists would be able to share images and relevant information with secondary care.
Comments (0)
You must be logged in to join the discussion. Log in