High street optometrists are set to gain extensive authority to treat conventional and emergency eye conditions under new government offers.
These changes are aimed at changing health care to the community and reducing pressure on general practitioners.
According to the proposed rules, the optometrists and vision of contact lenses play a significant role in the diagnosis of patients and the administration of essential medications.
This includes medications for cases such as dry eye, severe allergies and bacterial conjunctiva. They are allowed to enroll in medications only in emergencies or in local pharmacies.
One of the specific medications to be prescribed is acetylistine, which is used to manage tear film abnormalities in cases of dry eye where standard treatments are inefficient.
Sodium diclofenac can be prescribed for cataract surgery as well as seasonal allergic conjunctiva due to pain and inflammation.
In addition, azithromycin may be used to treat bacterial conjunctiva, potentially along with strong antibiotic gentamicin, which also deals with other infections.
Other drugs, such as atropine sulfate and hydrromide homatropin, which relax the eye for a precise test, are also included in the expanded prescription list.
This is useful for children and can prevent young people from going to the hospital for vision testing.
Elsewhere, allergic ophthalmic conditions include azlastin hydrochloride, ketotifen, oleopatadine and ludoxamide, while other drugs can also be in the emergency for patients with acute angle closure that otherwise need to go to the hospital.
A set of other drugs can also help optometrists and lens vision by removing external objects from the eye.
“Through our plan to change, we change more care from the hospital and the community – by empowering health care professionals in communities, we care about the doorstep of patients,” said Health Minister Stephen Kinok.
“These suggested changes make it make it easy to unnecessary the optometrists and vision of contact lenses, red strips for patients for minor eye conditions, such as allergic conjunctiva, without the need to go to their general practitioner or hospital – to free the hospital’s appointments and primary care.”
“It is possible for optometrists to produce a wider range of prescription drugs, ensuring that more patients in many minor partial conditions in their local light procedure, without referring to a prescription or expecting GP, said.
“If these proposals are agreed and implemented, optometrists can play a key role in reducing the load of A&E and GPS, which often lack the specialist training and equipment needed to further handle eye conditions,” he said.
“With the expansion of the number of drugs that all optometrists can provide to patients, the main Optometris skills are used to improve patient’s results and experiences, especially in cases where acute eye care services are available,” he said.
“We call on our members, all health care professionals and people to support these suggestions to improve eye care in the community.”
