Posted on: 6 November 2018
Glaucoma is a common eye condition where the optic nerve is damaged, often by the pressure of fluid inside the eye. For around 10% of those in the UK who register as being blind, having glaucoma led to their sight loss. This doesn’t have to be the outcome. For people with the condition, early diagnosis and treatment can help stop their vision getting worse and sight loss can be avoided.
One of the aims of the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership is to see more tests and treatments being provided closer to home, in local community and primary care settings. With this in mind, community eye care professionals are being trained with enhanced skills to diagnose optic nerve damage, refer glaucoma patients onto secondary care when appropriate and support them with their treatment plans.
Over the past two years, Health Education England (HEE) has paid for 200 optometrists in West Yorkshire and Harrogate to train for the Professional Certificate in Glaucoma. This means that 15% of the area’s optometrists are already qualified with improved skills to provide this invaluable service in our communities.
The Local Eye Health Network, working with Bradford University, has been successful in getting two further grants from HEE worth £50k each.
The first grant is paying for a further 125 candidates to undertake this postgraduate course at the university’s School of Optometry and Vision Science, recognised nationally and internationally for the excellence of its courses, graduates and research. In addition to optometrists, these discounted places have now also been made available to other eye health professionals including ophthalmic nurses and orthoptists.
The second grant is funding the Professional Higher Certificate in Glaucoma, for those who have attained the Professional Certificate in Glaucoma but who want to move onto the next level. All students who choose to study for the Higher Certificate have hospital placements in a glaucoma clinic to help them develop their detection and decision-making skills even further.
Stephen Clark, Chair of the Local Eye Health Network said:
“The Partnership is reviewing how and where all ophthalmology services are delivered in West Yorkshire and Harrogate to make the best use of the eye care expertise we already have in our communities. Having eye care services in local settings rather than hospitals makes them easier to access and often less daunting. This will hopefully encourage more people to attend for the checks that could potentially save their sight.”