GPs
Eye health now accounts for 4.5m GP consultations and costs the UK economy £28bn each year. However, with the right treatment and services a high proportion of sight loss can be avoided.
If you are a GP, work in a practice or a primary care setting you can find information here to enable you to support patients with sight loss.
GP Eye Health Network
This free network aims to bring together GPs from across the UK to raise the profile of eye health within general practice and improve the quality of care for patients with sight loss.
By joining the network you will receive the latest news, events, updates and elearning about eye health and sight loss.
Eye health resources
Factsheets on eye conditions
As part of a three year project with the Royal College of General Practitioners a series of factsheets on eye conditions were produced. Here you can find all those factsheets, as well as new ones commissioned since.
- Age-related Macular Degeneration (PDF, 115 KB)
- Charles Bonnet Syndrome (PDF, 114 KB)
- Children's eye conditions (PDF, 139 KB)
- Diabetic eye disease (PDF, 120 KB)
- Dry eyes (PDF, 129 KB)
- Flashing lights and floaters (PDF, 120 KB)
- Glaucoma (PDF, 146 KB)
- Hypertension and the eye (PDF, 130 KB)
- Infective conjunctivitis (PDF, 126 KB)
- Steroids and the eye (PDF, 131 KB)
Sight loss Referral guide - When and who
This factsheet covers when you should refer various eye conditions, and who to refer to.
Sight loss in older people - The essential guide for general practice
This guide highlights the need and route for early and appropriate referral, the link between sight loss and other health conditions, and suggests how services provided by general practice can be made more accessible for older people with sight loss. Written in consultation with GPs, it includes an executive summary of the main learning points that are covered in each chapter.
Webinars
The RCGP Clinical Priority for Eye Health Programme delivered a series of educational workshops and webinars across the UK to improve GP and Practice Staff knowledge in identifying eye conditions earlier amongst older people and to improve support provided to patients with sight loss.
Common eye conditions
This webinar covers common eye conditions and how to effectively support patients with sight loss. Chaired by Dr Waqaar Shah, it features a presentation by Ms Seema Verma, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital.
Cataracts and general ophthalmic emergencies
This webinar covers cataracts. Chaired by Dr Waqaar Shah, it features a presentation by Professor Harminder Singh Dua, Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.
Knowledge and research hub
We are a leading source of information on sight loss and the issues affecting blind and partially sighted people. Access our statistics, evidence and reports in our research hub.
Visit the research hub