Promoting eye health was deemed worthy of heavy investment this week when a £3m multimedia public health awareness campaign reached the Houses of Parliament.
The funds have arrived promptly following a new partnership between blindness charity RNIB and multiple Specsavers was announced last month.
‘Transforming Eye Health’ was launched at a House of Lords event hosted by Lord Low of Dalston, co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment.
It demonstrated Specsavers’ growing influence in getting high street optical services on the political agenda, with a supporting study showing MPs that the cost of sight loss has soared by more than a fifth since 2008.
Also in attendance in Westminster was RNIB president Dame Gail Ronson, campaign ambassador Lady Penny Lancaster-Stewart and Specsavers co-founders Doug and Dame Mary Perkins.
Their joint State of the Nation: Eye Health 2016 report suggested the figure could be significantly reduced by better public take-up of routine eye tests, and by earlier diagnosis and treatment of eye conditions.
Nevertheless, an independent YouGov poll of 10,000 UK adults found 80% of the population knew an optometrist checked for sight problems such as cataract, glaucoma and diabetes related retinal diseases.
In addition, many were aware that they can detect wider health issues, with 61% realising they could find signs of tumours and 42% aware high blood pressure could be detected.
Despite this, the poll found that nearly a quarter had not booked an exam within the past two years.
RNIB acting CEO Sally Harvey said: ‘An ageing population, rapidly growing demand for eye health and care services, and capacity problems in some clinics at a time of growing budget deficits, means that we are facing an extremely challenging time for eye health in the UK.
‘Improving the nation’s eye health is an enormous challenge but we must rise to it and take action now to stop people needlessly losing their sight.
‘Regular eye tests and early detection on the high street, followed by timely intervention and management of eye health conditions, could help to save sight as well as saving the public purse millions of pounds each year.’
Indeed, research commissioned by RNIB from Deloitte Access Economics estimated the cost to the UK economy of sight loss in the adult population totalled £28.1bn in 2013. This included £1.5bn spent on hospital treatments, £276.8m on residential and community care, £276.8m on residential and community care, £380.9m on prescriptions including AMD treatments and £614.6m on general ophthalmic services.
Projected growth in sight loss (RNIB State of the Nation: Eye Health 2016 report)
However, the bulk amount was found to be the indirect cost of sight loss, including lower employment participation and reduction in wellbeing.
The joint report also noted more than six million people in the UK live with sight-threatening conditions or uncorrected refractive error. Two million people were living with sight loss that had a significant impact on their daily lives and this figure was set to increase to more than 2.7m driven by an increase in the UK’s ageing demographic.
Specsavers founder Doug Perkins, an optometrist of more than 50 years, said: ‘It’s astonishing that so many people are needlessly living with or at risk of sight loss in the UK today. Nearly half of all sight loss cases are preventable – and a simple eye test can be the first step in prevention.
Cause of sight loss of two million UK patients (You Gov poll)
‘Our mission with RNIB is to transform the nation’s eye health through education, awareness and action; we want to reverse these worrying eye health trends that are putting unnecessary pressure on the health service.
‘That’s why we have invested £3m to educate people about the importance of looking after their eye health. Prevention is critical. We don’t care where people have an eye test, we just care that they do.’
It marks the latest move in a flurry of activity by Specsavers to position itself as a provider of enhanced optical services in addition to its vast retail empire. Just last week, the multiple announced a new ophthalmic diagnostic treatment centre for people suffering from wet AMD in Gwent, Wales, as the first high street opticians to provide initial screening, referrals and treatment by NHS staff.
Craig MacKenzie, store optometrist director at Specsavers in Newport, said: ‘By bringing primary and secondary healthcare providers together to deliver clinical assessments and treatments in a community setting, more patients will benefit because of reduced waiting times and its central Newport location, which has nearby parking, excellent public transport links as well as a range of amenities on our doorstep.’
Perkins said: ‘This is exactly the kind of enhanced optical service we should seek to be involved in as optometrists, using our skills to the benefit of patients and helping to ease the pressure on the hospital service.’
A glaucoma scheme was also set up in Gwent this spring, which saw three community eye care centres set up at Specsavers, Julian Davies Opticians in Newport and Phillips Opticians in Torfaen. Earlier in the year Perkins stressed the company’s commitment to community eye care services at Optrafair, since appointing three heads of enhanced services and providing staff with extra training.
Indeed, a milestone of 2,000 Specsavers optometrists becoming accredited at Wopec Level 2 Mecs (minor eye condition schemes) was passed during an assessment event in Harlow, Essex, last month.
Paul Morris, Specsavers director of optometry advancement, said: ‘Optometrists, wherever they work, need to be accredited to deliver enhanced optical services if they are to take on the full scope of primary eye care in the future and deliver the best outcomes to patients.
‘Our 2,000th practitioner in England is a significant milestone for Specsavers. Every practitioner who has been accredited at Level 1 and Level 2 has proved their capability to deal with minor eye conditions and gained vital knowledge that will sharpen their clinical decision-making with every patient they see.’
Meanwhile, Specsavers strategy is perhaps underpinned by new College of Optometrists findings (see pages 4 and 5) that enhanced eye care services demonstrate clinical effectiveness and were well received by patients. The College evaluation found referrals to hospital eye departments dropped by a quarter in areas offering Mecs.
Specsavers’ increased presence may pose a concern for independent practitioners who have worked hard to establish enhanced service schemes through their Local Optical Committee.
However, Locsu has welcomed Specsavers involvement, explaining how the LOC company model prevented enhanced services becoming the domain of a larger multiple in the same way DVLA testing did when Specsavers was awarded that contract in 2014.
Locsu managing director Katrina Venerus told Optician: ‘Locsu believes we are at a breakthrough point for the optical sector. It is extremely positive for the profession that all the optical chains, including Specsavers, recognise that developing and being involved in wider primary eye care services is vital to the future of community optical practices.
‘The LOC company model provides a vehicle for all types of practices from independent to large multiples, to be able to deliver services. All the multiples, including Specsavers are actively and enthusiastically engaged with LOC companies across the length and breadth of England, delivering services as sub-contractors.
‘At a time when the community sector could come up against other external providers, coming together through the LOC and the LOC company model proves a compelling combination for CCGs and patients.’
Therefore, as evidenced at the House of Lords this week, some unforeseen partnerships will be required to make a visible impact on sight loss.