In Focus: A different direction for community optometry

A project in Wales has received a grant to look at the value of community optometrists monitoring and managing patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma.

Funding would facilitate the Hospital to Community Collaboration Cymru (H2C Co-Lab Cymru) to research the best way to care for patients who lived with long-standing eye conditions.

Barbara Ryan, project investigator, told Optician: ‘The project is looking at the value of these services. It is identifying the value of optometrists monitoring and managing sight threatening eye disease in primary care.’

It has been awarded a Research for Patient and Public Benefit grant by Health and Care Research Wales and findings could be used to better inform decisions taken at health board and Welsh government level.