ArticleOphthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists)2026
The Rise of Independent Prescribing by Optometrists in Wales 2020-2024: Number of Practices, Drugs and Costs.
Article in Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeTo evaluate the growth and prescribing patterns of community-based independent prescribing (IP) optometrists managing acute eye conditions in Wales between 2020 and 2024, a period that saw the introduction and subsequent commissioning of National Health Service (NHS) funded acute eye care with prescribing in primary care optometry throughout Wales.
methodsMonthly prescribing data from NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership were analysed for all IP optometrists in Wales from 1st February 2020 to 31st January 2024. Data included drug name, British National Formulary classification, quantity, cost and health board location. Descriptive and correlational statistics were used to assess prescribing activity, regional distribution and cost trends.
resultsThe number of active IP optometry practices increased from eight in February 2020 to 68 in January 2024, with 20,980 prescriptions (49,162 items) issued at a total cost of £339,426. Corticosteroids, anti-infective agents and ocular lubricants were the most frequently prescribed drug classes. Ocular lubricants accounted for 34.0% of the total spend. Regional variation in prescribing activity was observed, with positive correlations between the number of active practices and both prescription volume and cost. Generic prescribing accounted for 47.0% of prescriptions, lower than national averages.
conclusionNHS commissioning of IP services in Wales has significantly expanded the role of optometrists in managing acute eye conditions in primary care. The findings highlight the potential of IP optometry to reduce pressure on general medical practice and hospital eye services. Further research is needed to evaluate clinical outcomes, cost-effectiveness and the broader therapeutic use of ocular lubricants in acute care.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.