Naoko Chapman

Researchers have recommended a better distribution of the optometric workforce could make eye care more accessible in many regions of New Zealand.

A University of Auckland study conducted by Naoko Chapman, Nicola Anstice and Robert Jacobs found ophthalmologists were distributed across the regions in proportion to the regional population size, but optometrists were concentrated in Auckland and other regions with high populations.

“Many regions with populations less than 200,000 had high population‐to‐practitioner ratios, indicating that they may not have sufficient numbers of ophthalmic practitioners in order to provide for the ocular needs of the community,” said the study.

Distribution of optometrists and ophthalmologists across New Zealand’s 20 DHBs was investigated to understand the accessibility of eyecare in the country. With changes made to the optometrists' scope of practice in 2005 and in 2014 increasing the range of drugs that suitably qualified optometrists could prescribe, the distribution of optometrists authorised to prescribe drugs was also investigated. The research team found over 74 % of optometrists were authorised to prescribe and made up the majority of optometrists in most regions.

New Zealand Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Board register was used, along with the Medical Council's website, to create a database of ophthalmic practitioners and their locations. The χ2 goodness‐of‐fit test was carried out to determine whether the distribution of the number of practitioners across the regions was in proportion to the population of the regions.