New UK Eye Care Data Hub predicts higher prevalence of eye disease and eye care workforce

The UK Eye Care Data Hub allows users to calculate the future eye care workforce, spanning both primary and secondary eye care services. This vital insight will support eye care and service planners across the UK to understand how the workforce will change over time. 

While the number of optometrists is forecast to increase by 38.2%, orthoptists by 50% and consultant ophthalmologists by 71.2% over the next 10 years, there is also projected to be a decrease in dispensing opticians (-11.7%) and nurses specialising in eye care (-33.3%). 

Current hospital capacity is already failing eye care patients, with long waits across the UK and tens of thousands of patients waiting over a year for treatment, putting them at risk of irreversible sight loss. Even with a predicted increase in some areas of the eye care workforce, experts are worried that hospital capacity will not meet the level of demand forecast by the increase in prevalence of eye conditions and eye disease. This is why professional bodies representing the eye care workforce are calling for both greater investment in training and a recognition that services should be remodelled to make best use of the eye care expertise available in and out of hospitals. 

The new open-access online tool has been designed to support all health systems across the UK, optimise the existing eye care workforce, address health inequalities, and identify priorities for future eye care workforce education, training and development to support new models of care.

For eye care sector employers, the tool will enable them to make decisions about recruitment planning and investment in higher qualifications and training, informed by forecast future demand and trends in eye disease prevalence.

The College of Optometrists led the project to develop the tool on behalf of the UK’s eye care sector. The project was supported and co-funded by the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO), the British & Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS), the Department of Health Northern Ireland, the Federation of Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians (FODO) and The Royal College of Ophthalmologists. 

The tool was developed by York Health Economics Consortium (YHEC) at the University of York. Eye disease prevalence and incidence data was compiled by 16 expert working groups of The Royal College of Ophthalmologists. YHEC led on all other aspects of the model, including workforce.

An Advisory Group consisting of both project funders and other stakeholders in the eye care sector was established to advise and steer the project and provide access to data. The Advisory Group members included: Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO), Association of Optometrists (AOP), British & Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS), Department of Health Northern Ireland, Federation of Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians (FODO), General Optical Council (GOC), Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), Local Optical Committee Support Unit (LOCSU), NHS England, Royal College of Nursing (RCN), The College of Optometrists, The Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), Scottish Government and Welsh Government.