A project in Wales that studied how sight-threatening conditions could be managed and monitored in the community has secured a research grant.
The Hospital to Community Collaboration Cymru group’s scheme was developed to better inform decisions taken at health board and Welsh government level.
It has been awarded a Research for Patient and Public Benefit grant from Health and Care Research Wales in order to further explore the best way to care for patients who live with long-standing eye conditions.
Dr Pippa Anderson and Dr Mari Jones, from Swansea University, have worked on the cross-professional collaboration, which was led by optometrist Professor Barbara Ryan, from Cardiff University.
Dr Anderson said: ‘Our aim is to evaluate the value of community optometrists managing the common sight-threatening eye conditions of age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma in the community. Value in this context will not only be economic impact but also a patient-centred focus coupled with the right management in the right place at the right time.’
Other bodies involved in the project include the University of South Wales, Sight Cymru, the Macular Society, the International Glaucoma Association and the Wales Council for the Blind.
