Traditionally, care models for cataract care have been hospital-based and rely heavily on consultant teams. To improve patient access to the cataract service and release capacity within secondary care, optometrists have taken on a much-expanded role. The outcome has seen an increase in the number of surgeries and a greater discharge to primary care for postoperative care. 

The Manchester cataract service (see panel overleaf) highlights how practice has changed in recent years. Implemented in 2016, this local pathway uses optometrists at every stage, from assessment through to post-surgical review. 

“Optometrists are utilising the skills they always had in the primary care setting, and are improving the patient pathway and capacity by allowing hospitals to only see the patients they really need to see,” says Ravi Ahluwalia MCOptom, Principal Optometrist at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital.