Primary eye care delivery in Scotland reaches 80 per cent

Scottish policy makers enjoyed a second celebration this week with figures from NHS Scotland’s Information Services Division painting a positive picture of primary eye care in the region.

Since 2006/7 the number of eye examinations in Scotland has risen by 29 per cent from 1.58 million to 2.04m. Changes in legislation in 2010 saw the introduction of the supplementary eye examination which now accounts for 374,000 of the total. The introduction of the supplementary eye exam was accompanied by the introduction of free eye exams for everyone in Scotland.

Perhaps the best news for optometry is the reduced proportion of referrals that have resulted from the changes. In 2006/7 63 per cent of those undergoing an eye examination were not referred. This rose to 80 per cent in the year 2013/4.