Latest news with #AdamSampson
Telegraph
30-06-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Care delays putting people with glaucoma at risk of blindness
Care delays are putting people with glaucoma at risk of blindness, experts have warned. The Association of Optometrists (AOP) said the current approach to the condition in England is 'failing the public'. A survey by the organisation found more than half of high street optometrists have witnessed patients going blind from the condition because of late detection or delays in treatment. Glaucoma, which affects around 700,000 people in the UK, is caused by fluid building up in the front part of the eye, leading to the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, becoming damaged. The condition does not usually cause any symptoms to begin with and can develop slowly over many years. A report by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists suggests cases could rise by 22 per cent by 2035. Adam Sampson, AOP chief executive, said: 'The current approach to glaucoma in England is failing the public. 'Each year, people are faced with the reality of permanent sight loss as a direct result of delays to care and inconsistencies in eye care provision. 'But glaucoma services led by optometrists show that it does not need to be this way.' According to the AOP, reforms in Wales in 2022 mean optometrists can offer glaucoma services on the high street, with schemes also running in Scotland and in some areas of England. It is now calling for the Government to commit to a national glaucoma pathway for England, working with high street opticians to ensure patients have equal access to treatment. The AOP found of 915 optometrists, 54 per cent had witnessed a patient with glaucoma permanently losing their sight in the past year. More than six in 10 optometrists believed most of their patients were unaware of the condition or its risk factors, which include age, ethnicity and some medical conditions such as diabetes. Mr Sampson added: 'The research we have conducted reveals a national glaucoma pathway in England could free up 300,000 hospital eye appointments and save the NHS over £12 million every year. 'We are calling on the Government to act now to overhaul health in England. 'We must ensure high street optometrists can protect the public by detecting, monitoring and treating glaucoma, and ease the burden on hospital eye services.' Matt Weale was diagnosed with glaucoma after a routine eye test in 2021 revealed dangerously high pressure in his left eye. The 54-year-old said: 'By the time I was finally offered a follow-up appointment my vision had already started to deteriorate. 'I felt like I was falling through the cracks. It was terrifying not knowing if I was going to lose my sight because the system was too stretched to see me. 'If I hadn't been able to pay for private care, I truly believe I would have gone blind in my left eye. I lost confidence, I had to give up my job, the things I loved like playing football and performing.'
The Independent
30-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Patients with common eye condition face sight loss due to care delays
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Patients with a common eye condition risk losing their sight permanently due to delays in care, experts have warned. The Association of Optometrists (AOP) said the current approach to glaucoma in England is 'failing the public'. It comes as a survey by the organisation found more than half of high street optometrists have witnessed patients going blind from the condition because of late detection or delays in treatment. Glaucoma affects about 700,000 people in the UK. It is caused by fluid building up in the front part of the eye, leading to the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, becoming damaged. The condition does not usually cause any symptoms to begin with and can develop slowly over many years. A report by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists suggests cases could rise by 22% by 2035. AOP chief executive Adam Sampson said: 'The current approach to glaucoma in England is failing the public. 'Each year, people are faced with the reality of permanent sight loss as a direct result of delays to care and inconsistencies in eye care provision. 'But glaucoma services led by optometrists show that it does not need to be this way.' According to the AOP, reforms in Wales in 2022 mean optometrists can offer glaucoma services on the high street, with schemes also running in Scotland and in some areas of England. It is now calling for the Government to commit to a national glaucoma pathway for England, working with high street opticians to ensure patients have equal access to treatment. An AOP survey of 915 optometrists found 54% had witnessed a patient with glaucoma permanently losing their sight in the last year. The poll also found more than six in 10 optometrists believe most of their patients are unaware of the condition or its risk factors, which include age, ethnicity and some medical conditions like diabetes. Mr Sampson added: 'The research we have conducted reveals a national glaucoma pathway in England could free up 300,000 hospital eye appointments and save the NHS over £12m every year. 'We are calling on the Government to act now to overhaul health in England. 'We must ensure high street optometrists can protect the public by detecting, monitoring and treating glaucoma, and ease the burden on hospital eye services.' Matt Weale was diagnosed with glaucoma after a routine eye test in 2021 revealed dangerously high pressure in his left eye. The 54-year-old said: 'By the time I was finally offered a follow-up appointment, my vision had already started to deteriorate. 'I felt like I was falling through the cracks, and it was terrifying – not knowing if I was going to lose my sight because the system was too stretched to see me. 'If I hadn't been able to pay for private care, I truly believe I would have gone blind in my left eye. I lost confidence, I had to give up my job, the things I loved – like playing football and performing.'
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
In Touch Visual Impairment Registration; An Interview with Meta
The Association of Optometrists will be asking MPs to amend what they regard as an outdated administrative task that is delaying thousands of patients getting their certificates of visual impairment. These certificates allow people to get access to essential care services after a diagnosis, but at the moment only ophthalmologists can sign them off. Adam Sampson is the Association's Chief Executive and he tells In Touch about the situation and about how thousands of optometrists across the country could help with this problem. The Rayban Meta Smart Glasses have been on the market in the UK for a little while now, but for some months, many visually impaired users have been waiting for a particularly helpful AI feature to land in the UK. The roll out of the Look and Tell feature has been happening over the past few weeks, but some visually impaired users had questions about the seemingly random way in which is was rolled out. We ask this, and other listener's questions to Chris Yiu who is Director of Public Policy at Meta. Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image and he is wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three separate white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch" and the Radio 4 logo (the word 'radio' in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside of a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one is a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.
