National Eye Health Week has been and gone for another year, and this has resulted in our practice being busier than ever. The increased public awareness of the need for regular sight tests definitely led to an increase in demand for the services we provide. We saw more patients in one week than ever before – a combination of routine sight tests, contact lens appointments and an increasing number of Mecs patients choosing to seek advice and treatment from their optometrist rather than their GP or pharmacist. This can only be a good thing.
Up and down the country there have been really positive stories in the media about the work optometrists do, and the benefits of attending regular sight tests. The latest Specsavers TV advert does a great job of highlighting the importance of the work we do, while still retaining the humour the brand is known for.
During National Eye Health Week, we also took the opportunity in my practice to carry out some fundraising for our partners at the RNIB, which resulted in more than £200 being raised for the charity.
The success of this year’s National Eye Health Week, combined with the drive to increase the provision of enhanced optical services, indicates we are ready to adapt to meet the ever-increasing demand for eye care. Indeed, over the past six months, more than 2,000 Specsavers optometrists have achieved their Mecs accreditation, including three in my practice.
In Richmond we offer enhanced optical services seven days a week, which is appreciated by the local public. Our semi-rural location and distance from the nearest HES department means patients would often rather be assessed on the high street than travel and face potentially longer waiting times at the hospital.
Recently, on a Saturday afternoon, I examined a patient who attended for an unscheduled appointment after an incident while gardening. He had already contacted his GP, who had advised him to contact his optician as he met the criteria for our local Mecs scheme, and he was incorporated into my clinic the same day.
When he attended the appointment, the gentleman didn’t seem to be in any real discomfort, but his eyes appeared a little red. He informed me that he had been trimming the hedge the day before, and had noticed he had a little discomfort akin to grittiness in both eyes since then, and thought he might have some remnants in his eyes that needed removing, so was seeking further advice.
Before I checked his ocular health I measured his visual acuities and was surprised to discover that he was 6/120 in his right eye and 6/20 in his left. At his last sight test (two months previously), his best corrected visual acuity was 6/7.5 both eyes. After checking that the patient hadn’t driven himself to the practice (he hadn’t – his wife had driven that day, thankfully), I proceeded to perform a slit-lamp examination.
This revealed severe bilateral corneal abrasions with significant oedema – right worse than left. After explaining my findings I arranged for him to see the on-call ophthalmologist later that afternoon, and then marvelled at his tolerance to pain.
Thankfully, with prompt treatment under the HES, this gentleman has made a full and relatively quick recovery. When I have spoken with him since, the main thing he talked about he was how impressed he was with the availability of NHS-funded Mecs, of which he had been previously unaware.
As we move forward and increase the range of professional skills and services we provide, and continue to develop new products, we will meet the ever-growing demands being put upon us. For me, this has never been more evident than during the past few weeks where the buzz created around National Eye Health Week has helped the public become more aware of the full range of services we provide in addition to the ‘everyday’ services we have always offered.
Ross Campbell is ophthalmic director of Specsavers, Richmond, North Yorkshire