UK Eye Care Data Hub: forecasting eye care workforce and disease prevalence
Welcome to the UK Eye Care Data Hub. This dashboard has been developed to estimate the current eye care workforce and eye disease prevalence or incidence, and to model future trends over time.
This vital insight is essential for:
Commissioners of eye care services across the UK to understand the needs of the patients and their current and future resources to meet those needs
Optometrists and other eye care professionals to see where there may be opportunities for using their expertise
Employers and commissioners to identify priorities for future workforce education, training and development
the current multi-professional primary and secondary eye care workforce, and predicted workforce, based on current trends over the next 15 years
the prevalence or incidence of a number of eye conditions over the next 15 years
The College of Optometrists has led a sector-wide and UK-wide, multi-professional eye care workforce supply and demand data modelling project, called the UK Eye Care Data Hub.
This hub has been developed to estimate the current eye care workforce and eye disease prevalence or incidence, and to model future trends over time. It has been designed primarily to support commissioners and designers of eye care services in each of the four UK nations to identify future population eye care needs and optimise the existing eye care workforce.
How the UK Eye Care Data Hub can help
This knowledge should help health services to:
better meet eye health needs
identify priorities for future workforce education, training and development
support the development of new models of care
The data is also helpful for practitioners in the eye care sector to:
identify where you and your qualifications are best valued to meet patient needs
support you in conversations with providers of eye care services in your area to address local requirements or request support for furthering your scope of practice
provide nationwide data to support research projects
An Advisory Group consisting of both project funders and other stakeholders in the eye care sector was established to advise and steer the project, and provide access to data:
Association of British Dispensing Opticians
Association of Optometrists
British & Irish Orthoptic Society
Department of Health Northern Ireland
Federation of Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians
Workforce data at health board and ICS level is an estimate, modelled and based on regional or national datasets and populations. There are no available data models for some professions or professional qualifications at ICS or Health Board level due to very small numbers. If users have accurate workforce data at ICS or Health Board level, please contact policy@college-optometrists.org.uk so the data can be included in the model.
The College of Optometrists presented its annual Research Excellence Awards to 2025’s winners at its prestigious annual Diploma and Awards Ceremony on 18 November at Central Hall in Westminster, London.
On Tuesday 18 November, the College welcomed over 450 new optometrists to the profession in two College Diploma Ceremonies held in Westminster, London.
