The effect of the COVID‐19 pandemic on working practices of UK primary care optometrists

Abstract

Purpose In late 2019, a new coronavirus capable of infecting humans, SARS‐CoV‐2, was identified in Wuhan, China. The resultant respiratory disease was subsequently named COVID‐19. In March 2020, in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic, primary care optometry practices only remained open to deliver essential or emergency eye care. This study aimed to characterise the experiences of United Kingdom (UK)‐based primary care optometrists during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Methods An email invitation to participate in an online cross‐sectional survey was sent to 3000 UK‐based, currently practicing members of The College of Optometrists (UK). Responses to the structured questionnaire were analysed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, means and standard deviations. Frequency analyses were used to evaluate items with multiple responses. Free‐text responses were examined using thematic analyses. Results After data cleaning, a total of 1250 responses remained. Sixty‐three percent were female, 70% self‐identified as being of white ethnicity and 78% were based in England. During the first national lockdown, over half of all respondents were involved with the provision of remote consultations for emergency/urgent care. The majority felt ‘very’/‘moderately’ comfortable conducting remote consultations, but 66% felt professional liability was increased. Forty percent were involved in the provision of face‐to‐face consultations. Eye‐health and vision‐related problems were the most commonly reported patient issues during both remote and face‐to‐face consultations, while contact‐lens related problems were the least. Thematic analysis of the responses showed several challenges adjusting to the pandemic (e.g., working safely), but also some potential benefits (e.g., increased skills). Conclusions The findings provide an overview of changes to optometric practice in the UK during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The results may be used to inform the development of professional guidance and facilitate resource allocation for safe and effective eye care during this and any future pandemics.

Protocol for a qualitative study to explore acceptability, barriers and facilitators of the implementation of new teleophthalmology technologies between community optometry practices and hospital eye services

“…However, despite these promising findings, triaging referrals via teleophthalmology has been limited in practice. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period associated with increased adoption of telehealth applications,19 primary care optometrists were less willing to adopt teleophthalmology in the context of referrals 20. Although the study did not explore in depth reasons for this limited adoption, this finding is not surprising.…”

“…For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period associated with increased adoption of telehealth applications, 19 primary care optometrists were less willing to adopt teleophthalmology in the context of referrals. 20 Although the study did not explore in depth reasons for this limited adoption, this finding is not surprising. Generally, implementing digital health interventions in practice is acknowledged to be complex due to the multiple components that should be considered during implementation.…”

The impact of COVID-19 on soft contact lens wear in established European and US markets

“…In the near future, a multitude of factors could influence eye care practice and demand for services [26] , [27] . An indication that many respondents who decreased lens wear during the pandemic also expressed a desire to return to pre-pandemic wearing levels, offers a positive signal to those concerned about market recovery prospects [25] .…”

A Comparison of the Incidence and Type of Ocular Motility Defects in Patients Presenting to Birmingham Midland Eye Centre Emergency Department during 2019 and 2020 to Assess the Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…Another consideration when auditing the presentations to ED was the access to primary optometry services during 2020. On 23 rd March 2020, optometry services were advised to stay open to deliver emergency eye care only (Nagra et al 2021), and re-open for routine sight tests on 15 th June 2020 (NHS England, 2020b).…”

“…In this audit, an increase of 21.1% was found for the incidence of sixth cranial nerve palsies in 2020 compared to 2019. Francis (2021) reported a case of isolated abducens nerve palsy with anosmia in a 69-year-old woman with no known general health conditions after Nagra et al 2021, NHS England, 2020b, Gov.uk 2021a, Public Health England 2021. COVID-19 infection.…”