Lack of local eye health services to blame for 270,000 avoidable A&E visits, says LOCSU

New research from the Local Optical Committee Support Unit (LOCSU) has shown that approximately 270,000 A&E department visits could be avoided every year if services for minor eye conditions were made available locally.

The organisation examined recently published data on A&E visits in England which showed that 350,000 patients attended emergency departments with eye health conditions each year. It estimated that 270,000 of these visits could be avoided.

LOCSU said the analysis was supported by recent guidance from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and College of Optometrists, which concluded that the majority of people attending eye casualty have non-serious conditions.