MPs see benefits of prevention

The role of the optometrist in the nation's eye health was highlighted at the Labour Party conference in Manchester this week.

The Eye Health Alliance, Alzheimer's Society and The Royal National Institute for Deaf People fringe event was entitled 'Getting in early: transforming care through early diagnosis and intervention'.

The meeting heard from optometrist Ed Bickerstaffe who detailed a pioneering referral refinement scheme in Manchester, designed to keep people out of secondary care and save the NHS money. He also praised the Welsh PEARs scheme, describing its cost effectiveness and how it ensures patients receive high quality care close to home, reducing the burden on over-stretched hospital eye clinics.