Dr Gillian Rudduck, president of the College of Optometrists
Eyecare sector organisations across the UK – including ABDO and led by the College of Optometrists – have collaborated to launch the UK Eye Care Data Hub to support healthcare commissioners and providers plan and design future eyecare services.
The new data tool forecasts the number of people expected to have a wide range of eye diseases and conditions, and models the future eyecare workforce, by UK nation and region, over the next 15 years.
Using eye disease prevalence and incidence data, the number of people with late age-related macular degeneration is predicted to increase by 24.4 per cent across the UK over the next 10 years. Over the same time period, primary open-angle glaucoma is predicted to increase by 15.9 per cent, and vision impairing cataracts by 16.7 per cent. The tool models more than 40 eye conditions, and more will be added in future updates to provide a comprehensive view of eye disease and conditions across the UK.
The UK Eye Care Data Hub also allows users to calculate the future eyecare workforce, spanning both primary and secondary eyecare services, to support eyecare and service planners understand how the workforce will change over time.
While the number of optometrists is forecast to increase by 38.2 per cent, orthoptists by 50 per cent and consultant ophthalmologists by 71.2 per cent over the next 10 years, there is also projected to be a decrease in dispensing opticians (-11.7 per cent) and nurses specialising in eyecare (-33.3 per cent)*.
Professional bodies representing the eyecare workforce are calling for both greater investment in training and a recognition that services should be remodelled, to make best use of the eyecare expertise available in and out of hospitals. The aim is to tackle waiting lists for hospital eyecare. Even with a predicted increase in some areas of the eyecare workforce, experts “are worried that hospital capacity will not meet the level of demand forecast by the increase in prevalence of eye conditions and eye disease”.
The new open-access online tool has been designed to support all health systems across the UK, optimise the existing eyecare workforce, address health inequalities, and identify priorities for future eyecare workforce education, training and development to support new models of care.
For eyecare sector employers, the tool will enable them to make decisions about recruitment planning and investment in higher qualifications and training, informed by forecast future demand and trends in eye disease prevalence.
Alistair Bridge, ABDO chief executive, said: “ABDO is pleased to have supported the development of the UK Eye Care Data Hub, which provides a detailed picture of the demand for eyecare and the opportunities for the optical workforce, including dispensing opticians and contact lens opticians. We look forward to collaborating with employers and commissioners to work through and act on the research findings.”
Dr Gillian Rudduck, president of the College of Optometrists, commented: “With the launch of the UK Eye Care Data Hub, eyecare commissioners and service planners across the UK will have access to critical data and insights to support them to plan services that meet the evolving needs of their local area more effectively. This will help ensure patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time, as well as reducing hospital waiting lists for the most urgent and complex cases.
“We believe that by commissioning more eyecare services in primary care, health commissioners can provide more timely access to effective eyecare for an ageing population and ultimately help prevent avoidable sight loss.”
The College of Optometrists led the project to develop the tool on behalf of the UK’s eyecare sector. Theproject was supported and co-funded by ABDO, the British & Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS), the Department of Health Northern Ireland (DHNI), the Federation of Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians (FODO) and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists.
The tool was developed by the York Health Economics Consortium (YHEC) at the University of York. Eye disease prevalence and incidence data was compiled by 16 expert working groups of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists. The YHEC led on all other aspects of the model, including workforce.
An Advisory Group, consisting of both project funders and other stakeholders in the eyecare sector, was established to advise and steer the project and provide access to data. Its members included: ABDO, the Association of Optometrists, BIOS, DHNI, FODO, the General Optical Council, Health Education and Improvement Wales, the Local Optical Committee Support Unit, NHS England, the Royal College of Nursing, the College of Optometrists, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, the Royal National Institute of Blind People, the Scottish government and the Welsh government.
