Buckinghamshire optometrist says community eye care could prevent thousands of A&E visits
An Amersham optometrist is calling for urgent eye care services to be available nationwide
Last updated 29th Jul 2026
An optometrist from Buckinghamshire says community optometrists could help ease pressure on hospitals after new figures suggested up to 400,000 visits to overcrowded A&E departments each year could be avoided.
In England, around 780,000 A&E attendances each year are related to eye problems, making them one of the 10 most common reasons people visit emergency departments.
Analysis by the Association of Optometrists (AOP) suggests that up to 78% of these cases could be safely managed in community optometry services, including conditions such as conjunctivitis, dry eye, eye infections and minor abrasions.
Henry Leonard, an optometrist in Amersham and AOP Head of Clinical, is calling on the Government to make urgent eye care services available nationwide.
He said it will be more beneficial than the current "postcode lottery" caused by inconsistent commissioning across England.
Mr Leonard told Greatest Hits Radio: "If someone rings me up and they say, 'I've woken up with a sore red eye', I have to say, I'm really sorry but I can't examine your eyes on the NHS.
"So, you either have to go to your GP, or you have to go to A&E if it's something potentially more urgent.
"That's absurd because we are here, we're ready, we're willing and able on the high street to do this.
"It just makes no sense that we're not making better use of optometrists."
The AOP estimates that expanding access to community eye care services could prevent up to 400,000 unnecessary A&E attendances each year, helping to reduce pressure on emergency departments while ensuring patients receive specialist care closer to home.
Mr Leonard said making urgent eye care services available across England would be "a win for the NHS" because it would reduce demand on services such as A&E.
"It would be a win for optometrists because we want to do this work. But most importantly, it's a win for patients because they get seen promptly by an eye care professional in the community close to home."
Dr James Gagg, Vice President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, welcomed the proposals.
He said: "Utilising community optometry services to ensure there is equitable access across England could save people with a variety of eye health problems from a potentially lengthy trip to a busy ED.
"We would welcome better-resourced community eye care, which could help deflect demand from A&E, accompanied by further measures from government to tackle the root causes of overcrowding and corridor care elsewhere in the system."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said:
“As part of our 10 Year Health Plan, we're investing £20 million to equip high-street optometrists with the digital tools they need to refer patients faster and more accurately, helping more people get convenient eye care closer to home.
“A&E is for genuine emergencies, and we expect patients to be assessed and directed to the service that best meets their needs.”