View from ABDO: Scotland leads the way

As a dispensing optician who works in Scotland, in addition to being ABDO president, I read with relish the Community Eyecare Services Review commissioned by Health Secretary Shona Robinson.

The review comes a decade after the introduction of the universally NHS funded eye examination in Scotland and reflects on eye care delivery in the intervening time and how it can be improved to meet the needs of the population in the future.

The review highlights schemes which have already been put in place to reduce geographical differences in services and suggests moving forward so that some services – traditionally the preserve of hospital ophthalmology departments – such as post-operative cataract monitoring and the management of stable glaucoma patients can and should be based in the community.