Advances In Eyecare

Next, we focus on specific disease pathways, starting with cataract. We speak again with Clair Bulpin, who provides us with an update on the Gloucester Cataract Direct Referral Scheme (GCDRS). Clair explains recent updates to the scheme as well as future plans. In the second half of this unit, we talk to Clare O'Donnell Head of Eye Science at Optegra health, Manchester. Clare discusses the differences between private and NHS referral pathways and factors to be aware of should a patient wish to be privately referred.

In England, we talk to Peter Turner, Senior Optometrist at Peter Turner's opticians in Bristol, about the care pathways he's been developing in his area and how these fit into the wider situation across England. Peter also provides advice on the importance and methods for finding out more about your local schemes.

In this section, unit 4, we return to Northern Ireland to hear from policy makers about what it takes to implement national level programmes. Raymond Curran, Head of Ophthalmic Services, and Margaret McMullan, Clinical Optometric Adviser at the Health and Social Care Board, Northern Ireland, explain to us the planning and preparation that goes into rolling out new schemes from a policy perspective, as well as the long-term improvement plans.

Next, we go to Wales where we talk to Andy Britton, Optometrist Director at Specsavers in Haverford West. Here, we see how a mix of national policy, regional schemes and inter-professional relationships can come together to enable the implementation of a truly innovative local referral process.

Since devolution in 1999, parts of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have taken up different approaches to the implementation and funding of eye health schemes. We start our exploration of regional referral protocols in Scotland with Glasgow based optometrist, Craig MacArthur, whose practice is restructured around retention and upskilling optometrists so as to perform triaging for eye health conditions.

Our presenter, John Waite, introduces the programme and its structure. Geoff Roberson, Professional Advisor to the Association of Optometrists, joins us again to explain the function of local referral protocols and the different types of referral pathways an optometrist might use in practice.

As part of his role at Aston, Dr Mark Dunne has supervised several postgraduate projects including the research of Dr John Gurney, Director of Kent Eye Care and author of the paper 'Application of naïve Bayesian artificial intelligence to referral refinement of chronic open angle glaucoma'. We meet with John to talk further about the principles of Bayesian analysis and the outcome of his research.

The evolving area of referrals protocols (discussed in Advances in Eyecare: Referrals 2) has the potential to be transformed greatly by the application of artificial intelligence. Dr Mark Dunne at Aston University has worked on several research projects focused on using AI to enhance efficiency of referrals, with plans for more such projects underway. We caught up with Mark and Farah Raqib, a post-graduate researcher at Aston, to hear about the opportunities offered by AI within the field of optometry as well as their plans as to how these principles might be introduced into undergraduate optometry courses.

AI has already shown much promise as a diagnostic tool in other healthcare fields, such as dermatology, in what has been dubbed by some as 'the fourth world revolution'. Mr Sameer Trikha, a consultant ophthalmologist and founder and Chief Medical Officer at Visulytix Ltd., has worked on the development of several AI based clinical decision support systems designed for optometrists and other primary care providers. Geoff Watts discusses these systems with Sameer, who also gives us an introduction to the concepts behind AI and machine learning.