Welsh Government
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Choose wise if you hurt your eyes
“Your local optician is often the best place for you to go if you have problems with your eyes, not A&E”, Deputy Health Minister Vaughan Gething said yesterday as he launched a new campaign.
The Welsh Government has begun a drive to encourage people to visit an optician to access acute eye care, rather than going to their GP or an Accident and Emergency unit. Optometrists can provide free expert advice and those seeking help do not have to be registered with them.
The campaign is being supported by Optometry Wales, Sight Cymru, Wales Council for the Blind, RNIB Cymru, and Public Health Wales.
Evidence suggests that patients are often unaware of the full range of healthcare services available to them and often visit an emergency department or dial 999 for ambulance services when an optometrist is the best place to go.
The ambulance service has seen a 205% rise in calls since 1991 and a 7% increase in attendances to major Emergency Departments across Wales over the last five years.
Vaughan Gething said:
“If you have a sudden eye problem, in many cases, your local optician is often the best place for you to go, not A&E or a pharmacist. Optometrists are the experts.
“Your local high street optometrist can give you expert advice on eye problems that need urgent attention and the best way to treat them. They have better equipment than GP surgeries for examining eyes.
“People can use any optician, without being registered with them. There is no charge if you have a problem that needs to be looked at urgently. Importantly, people often won’t need an appointment and can be seen quickly. An optometrist will see you free of charge within 24 hours or refer you to someone who can. Many opticians are open on Saturdays. Our campaign is about getting people to chose well and access the most appropriate healthcare for their problems.”
The Welsh Government has invested in the NHS to further improve access to eye care. This includes £1m through the Health Technologies and Telehealth Fund to establish IT systems across primary and secondary care and release capacity in hospitals.
