ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2024
The burden of acute eye conditions on different healthcare providers: a retrospective population-based study.
Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- The Rise of Independent Prescribing by Optometrists in Wales 2020-2024: Number of Practices, Drugs and Costs.Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists) · 2026Article
- Global Perspectives on Therapy for Noninfectious Conjunctival Hyperemia: A Narrative Review.Ophthalmology and therapy · 2026Review
- A Systematic Approach to Managing Acute Visual Loss: A Comprehensive Review of Literature.Cureus · 2026Review
- A Systematic Review of the Adequacy of Undergraduate Ophthalmology Education in the United Kingdom.Cureus · 2025Review
- New-onset double vision in general practice.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Article
- Eye diseases: a global concern across age, race, and environment.Eye (London, England) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe demand for acute eyecare exponentially outstrips capacity. The public lacks awareness of community eyecare services.
aimTo quantify the burden of acute eyecare on different healthcare service providers in a national population through prescribing and medicines provision by GPs, optometrists, and pharmacists, and provision of care by accident and emergency (A&E) services. A secondary aim was to characterise some of the drivers of this burden. DESIGN AND
settingA retrospective data-linkage study set in Wales, UK.
methodAnalysis of datasets was undertaken from the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage Databank (GP and A&E), the Eye Health Examination Wales service (optometry), and the Common Ailments Scheme (pharmacy) during 2017-2018.
resultsA total of 173 999 acute eyecare episodes delivered by GPs (168 877 episodes) and A&E services (5122) were identified during the study. This resulted in 65.4 episodes of care per 1000 people per year. GPs prescribed a total of 87 973 653 prescriptions within the general population. Of these, 820 693 were related to acute eyecare, resulting in a prescribing rate of 0.9%. A total of 5122 eye-related and 905 224 general A&E attendances were identified, respectively, resulting in an A&E attendance rate of 0.6%. Optometrists and pharmacists managed 51.8% (116 868) and 0.6% (2635) of all episodes, respectively. Older females and infants of both sexes were more likely to use GP prescribing services, while adolescent and middle-aged males were more likely to visit A&E. GP prescribing burden was driven partially by economic deprivation, access to services, and health score. Season, day of the week, and time of day were predictors of burden in GP and A&E.
conclusionAcute eyecare continues to place considerable burden on GP and A&E services in Wales, particularly in urban areas with greater economic deprivation and lower overall health. This is likely to increase with a rapidly ageing population. With ongoing pathway development to better utilise optometry and pharmacy, and improved public awareness, there may be scope to change this trajectory.
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