THE ROLE OF THE OPTOMETRIST IN PRIMARY CARE

On World Optometry Day, Professor Sandra Block of the Illinois College of Optometry highlights the importance of optometrists in primary vision care.

First of all, I would like to congratulate all optometrists on World Optometry Day and thank you for what you do every day to help people around the world see better. 2020 is the Year of Good Vision, a year to focus on vision and a chance to speak out about vision and eye health issues.

In October 2019, the World Health Organisation (WHO) released a report on vision (World Report on Vision) is an option for optometrists. I believe that this is a chance for optometrists to become actively involved and participate in many of the vision problems described in the report. We need to realise that the scale of vision and eye health problems is far greater than we ever thought. Optometry should be involved in solving these problems.

In a published report It highlights that uncorrected refractive errors, including presbyopia, affect more people than is reported in the literature. Also, as optometrists are responsible for the comprehensive eye care of patients, we can act as a link for prevention, diagnosis and referral (for conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, AMD, cataracts).

I have always thought of myself as part of the primary eye care services. In my role, I consider myself responsible for the patient's medical history, the examination, which consists of a refraction assessment and an eye health assessment. As optometrists, we can detect vision problems early, which leads to better treatment outcomes. It is important to raise awareness and educate patients about disease prevention measures. I emphasise to my patients the importance of a healthy lifestyle, especially smoking cessation, as this can help prevent diabetes (including diabetic retinopathy) or hypertension. This has helped many of my patients to improve their vision and eye health.

Finally, as an optometrist, I think it is also very important to care for patients with visual impairment or blindness that could not have been avoided. When I first started working, I tried to concentrate on where I could best fulfil myself. I chose child and disability care and rehabilitation services for the visually impaired. These are part of the services we provide to help people and improve their quality of life.

Once again, I would like to congratulate you all on World Optometry Day! Let's help more people in the world see better!

https://www.iapb.org/news/primary-care-role-of-optometrists/?fbclid=IwAR2YNwwihlBlSi5-dVDoioz1hu_p4B4dG1If2eGSNB7JXIFxsB3o-gHajl0

Translated by: optometrist M. Remeika