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400,000 A&E Visits for Minor Eye Conditions Could Be Avoided, Research Reveals
The group says 62% to 78% of eye emergency visits, or about 400,000 cases a year, could be handled by community optometrists.
- The Association of Optometrists reports that up to 400,000 annual eye-related emergency visits could be managed in the community, with between 62 and 78 per cent of these cases suitable for treatment by trained optometrists.
- England sees nearly 780,000 eye-related emergency visits annually, ranking among the top ten reasons for emergency attendance, yet patients default to hospitals for minor conditions because consistent community alternatives remain unavailable.
- AOP Chief Executive Adam Sampson described inconsistent commissioning as a "postcode lottery," while Dr. James Gagg, Vice President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said better-resourced community care could "help deflect demand from A&E."
- The AOP has written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, urging the Government to standardize nationwide urgent eye care so patients can access help on the High Street like community pharmacies.
- A 2024 report by PA Consulting for the AOP confirms the community optometry workforce already possesses the expertise and capacity to handle significantly more cases, aligning with broader NHS goals to transition care from hospital settings into the community.
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Basingstoke Gazette+12 Reposted by 12 other sources
400,000 A&E visits for minor eye conditions could be avoided, research reveals
New analysis by the Association of Optometrists (AOP) suggests that between 62 and up to 78 of eye-related A&E visits could be managed in…
·Basingstoke, United Kingdom
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Hundreds of people turning up at A&E with eye complaints opticians would treat for free
Opticians on the high street provide free NHS clinics where you can be seen quicker for eye problems – but most people don’t know they exist and turn up in A&E instead Hundreds of thousands of people are turning up at A&E for eye complaints for which they could go to free clinics on most high streets. New analysis shows eye infections, such as conjunctivitis and dry eye, are among the conditions with which 400,000 people went to hospital with la…
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Total News Sources16
Leaning Left1Leaning Right0Center14Last UpdatedBias Distribution93% Center
Bias Distribution
- 93% of the sources are Center
93% Center
C 93%
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