A needs assessment for a minor eye condition service within Leeds, Bradford and Airedale, UK

YesBackground: There are a number of limitations to the present primary eye care system in the UK. Patients with minor eye conditions typically either have to present to their local hospital or GP, or face a charge when visiting eye care professionals (optometrists). Some areas of the UK have commissioned enhanced community services to alleviate this problem; however, many areas have not. The present study is a needs assessment of three areas (Leeds, Airedale and Bradford) without a Minor Eye Conditions Service (MECS), with the aim of determining whether such a service is clinically or economically viable. Method: A pro forma was developed for optometrists and practice staff to complete when a patient presented whose reason for attending was due to symptoms indicative of a problem that could not be optically corrected. This form captured the reason for visit, whether the patient was seen, the consultation funding, the outcome and where the patient would have presented to if the optometrists could not have seen them. Optometrists were invited to participate via Local Optical Committees. Results were submitted via a Google form or a Microsoft Excel document and were analysed in Microsoft Excel. Results: Seventy-five percent of patients were managed in optometric practice. Nine and 16% of patients required subsequent referral to their General Practitioner or hospital ophthalmology department, respectively. Should they not have been seen, 34% of patients would have presented to accident and emergency departments and 59% to their general practitioner. 53% of patients paid privately for the optometrist appointment, 28% of patients received a free examination either through use of General Ophthalmic Service sight tests (9%) or optometrist good will (19%) and 19% of patients did not receive a consultation and were redirected to other providers (e.g. pharmacy, accident and emergency or General Practitioner). 88% of patients were satisfied with the level of service. Cost-analyses revealed a theoretical cost saving of £3198 to the NHS across our sample for the study period, indicating cost effectiveness. Conclusions: This assessment demonstrates that a minor eye condition service in the local areas would be economically and clinically viable and well received by patients

Ocular air gun injuries: a one-year surveillance study in the UK and Eire (BOSU). 2001-2002.

AIMS: The vulnerability of the eye means that ocular air gun injuries figure prominently in the medical literature. This Study reports the results of the first ocular air gun injury surveillance study. METHODS: Ocular air gun injuries were reported to the British Ophthalmic Surveillance Unit (BOSU; United Kingdom and Eire) for the period November 2001-December 2002 (13 months). Two questionnaires were used to collect demographic details, circumstances of injury, details of injuries, medical management and outcome. RESULTS: A total of 105 initial and 99 follow-up questionnaires were returned. Eighty-six ocular air gun injuries occurred during the last 12 months of surveillance yielding a corrected, estimated incidence of 91-115 injuries/year. Injuries were most frequent in August/September, and 90% (95/105) of victims were men with mean age of 17.5 years (74% under 18 years). In all, 40% (32/81) of injuries occurred at home and 53% (43/81) in a public place. 23% (19/84) of injuries were deliberate, 66% (69/104) of injuries were severe and 20% (21/105) resulted in ruptured globes. In all, 54% (48/89) required hospital admission and 41 required surgery. A total of 11% (12/105) of eyes were either enucleated or eviscerated. Final visual acuity was 6/12 (Snellen) in 65% (59/91). Moderate/significant cosmetic deformities were recorded in 10% (8/77) and restricted ocular movements in 5% (4/72). CONCLUSIONS: Ocular air gun injuries damage sight and leave lasting morbidity. The demographics and circumstances of injury are well documented with access to, and unsupervised use of, air guns, appearing the principal risks for injury

Improved student learning in ophthalmology with computer-aided instruction

© Royal College of OphthalmologistsPURPOSE: Recent changes in the medical school curriculum and in teaching styles have stimulated the development of novel learning resources. We investigated the impact of computer-aided learning in the field of ophthalmology at a large Australian undergraduate medical school. METHODS: Clinical case studies describing common ophthalmic conditions were incorporated into a computing program which uses a problem-solving format. The program was made available to 85 medical students for a 2 week period. A control group of 20 medical students did not have access to this material. Acquisition of new knowledge was assessed as the improvement in score on a knowledge-based multiple-choice examination which students took both before and following the learning interval. RESULTS: Students in the control group showed no improvement over the test period, whilst the students who had access to the computer significantly increased their knowledge base, both for material provided on the program (p = 0.0001) and in related areas (p = 0.0015). CONCLUSIONS: Suitably constructed material on the computer is a useful aid in teaching ophthalmology to medical undergraduates. The material and the medium may also act as a stimulus for further learning.P. Devitt, J.R. Smith and E. Palmerhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1170297