A UK poll has revealed a third (32%) of people who had an eye condition in the last five years approached their GP first, with another third (31%) choosing healthcare routes other than optometrists.
The UK Association of Optometrists’ (AOP’s) survey found hay-fever-related eye conditions alone constitute 1.35 million GP appointments annually, with 75% of high-street optometrists saying they had seen a patient within the last six months who had initially approached a GP. This is the tip of the iceberg, said Adam Sampson, AOP chief executive. “Millions more appointments are used to deal with other eye health issues that optometrists on the high street are trained to manage.”
As well as straining already overstretched GP practices – currently delivering two million more appointments a month compared to pre-pandemic figures – patients’ vision is being put at risk, said the report. “One patient went to a GP three times and was given dry eye drops the first, antibiotics the second and finally told go to an optician. The patient had uveitis. They were referred urgently and were admitted to Great Ormond Street Hospital,” said one optometrist respondent.
