Opportunities for optometrists to provide diabetic retinopathy screening remain limited despite warnings that care for escalating numbers of people with diabetes has reached breaking point.
An extra 700,000 Britons are expected to have diabetes by 2020, from 3.7 million currently, according to Diabetes UK projections this week.
The charity warned that the cost of providing healthcare would put great financial pressure on the NHS, which already spends 10 per cent of its budget treating diabetes, meaning patients faced increased risk of blindness and other conditions.
'The healthcare system is already at breaking point in terms of its ability to provide care for people with diabetes,' said Diabetes UK chief executive Barbara Young.
'We face the very real prospect of the rise in the number of people with the condition combining with NHS budget pressures to create a perfect storm that threatens to bankrupt the NHS.'
Diabetes patients require an annual retinopathy screening at facilities including GP surgeries, mobile vans, optical practices and community clinics, depending on local contracts.
However, optometrist and LOCSU adviser Trevor Warburton said that of around 80 screening programmes in England, only 15 were majority-delivered by optometrists, while another 15 had some optometry involvement. Successful schemes had been set up by LOCs including South Manchester, Cheshire and Dorset, he said.
Setting up retinopathy programmes was, Warburton said, an onerous process for local optical committees in comparison to setting up other enhanced services.
'Areas that decide to change providers put it out for tender and it is a big bite for LOCs,' he added.