A webinar was held on July 1 to discuss the current landscape of eye health provision and identify ways to progress at a local and national level.
The Minimising Sight Loss: Overcoming the Obstacles event was hosted by the National Eye Care Recovery and Transformation Programme.
Vin Diwaker, medical director for secondary care and national transformation, opened the webinar with an update on the current state of ophthalmology waiting lists.
He was worried about delays in outpatient care for those awaiting diagnosis for long term and complex conditions, such as glaucoma.
Diwaker said the best plan would not be found in short term solutions but in asking what the future of eye care looks like and developing a plan for the benefit of patients.
Participants were asked what was holding them back and eight themes were identified for further discussion, which included building a shared understanding of priorities in eye care, ways to work together and making the most of primary care, hospital and voluntary services.
During breakout sessions, one participant commented that primary care optometry was underutilised and more funding would allow the profession to work at the top of its licence.
A list of priorities for national consideration was created and included building communication and trust across the eye care system and with patients. A national framework for eye care that could be implemented locally to reduce variation, create standardisation and provide clear direction was also among the actions.