The scope of expanding optometrist`s role to involve glaucoma co-management in Finland
Kainulainen, Noora (2025)
2025
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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025121838224
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025121838224
Tiivistelmä
Purpose: Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness, and as a progressive eye disease, it usually requires continuous treatment and monitoring for the rest of one’s life. The prevalence of glaucoma is predicted to increase with the ageing population, which will further strain the availability of overcrowded eye care services in the hospitals. The United Kingdom, as a leading country in clinical optometry, has responded to the challenge by transferring the management and follow-up of the stable glaucoma patients to community optometrists. The aim of this study was to identify what starting points opticians/optometrists working in optical stores in Finland have if there is a desire to advance multidisciplinary cooperation and introduce shared care scheme of stable glaucoma in the future.
Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional design was chosen as the approach of the study. The data for the study was collected using a questionnaire created with the Webropol application. The survey was distributed to the study population by the Finnish Association of Optometry Professionals, and it was implemented at the turn of October and November 2024.
Results: The survey was completed by 90 respondents, most of whom were optometrists. Most of the respondents had access to standard ophthalmic equipment needed to monitor glaucoma, except for standard automated perimetry, which only a few respondents had access to. Nor had OCT devices yet become more common in the respondents' workplaces. The choice of research equipment focused on equipment that was easy and quick to use. The majority of the respondents expressed their interest in the shared care of stable glaucoma, but only a few were ready for it based on their current expertise, and the responses highlighted the need for additional training. The most important requirements for participating in glaucoma shared care were related to cooperation and competence, but also partly to the organisation's resources. Based on the answers received, opticians/optometrists had good prospects for cooperation with ophthalmologists in their workplaces. For the most part, the experiences of cooperation with the ophthalmologist were good, and the experience of the quality of cooperation was directly proportional to the number of appointments held by an ophthalmologist in respondent’s workplace.
Conclusions: If some kind of shared care scheme for stable glaucoma were to be introduced, participation in it would require the establishment of an accreditation program in Finland, continuous training of optometrists and an assessment of their capabilities for access to extended roles. For optical stores, it would mean significant investments in specialist ophthalmic equipment.
Keywords: optometrist, glaucoma, shared care, co-management, survey, questionnaire
Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional design was chosen as the approach of the study. The data for the study was collected using a questionnaire created with the Webropol application. The survey was distributed to the study population by the Finnish Association of Optometry Professionals, and it was implemented at the turn of October and November 2024.
Results: The survey was completed by 90 respondents, most of whom were optometrists. Most of the respondents had access to standard ophthalmic equipment needed to monitor glaucoma, except for standard automated perimetry, which only a few respondents had access to. Nor had OCT devices yet become more common in the respondents' workplaces. The choice of research equipment focused on equipment that was easy and quick to use. The majority of the respondents expressed their interest in the shared care of stable glaucoma, but only a few were ready for it based on their current expertise, and the responses highlighted the need for additional training. The most important requirements for participating in glaucoma shared care were related to cooperation and competence, but also partly to the organisation's resources. Based on the answers received, opticians/optometrists had good prospects for cooperation with ophthalmologists in their workplaces. For the most part, the experiences of cooperation with the ophthalmologist were good, and the experience of the quality of cooperation was directly proportional to the number of appointments held by an ophthalmologist in respondent’s workplace.
Conclusions: If some kind of shared care scheme for stable glaucoma were to be introduced, participation in it would require the establishment of an accreditation program in Finland, continuous training of optometrists and an assessment of their capabilities for access to extended roles. For optical stores, it would mean significant investments in specialist ophthalmic equipment.
Keywords: optometrist, glaucoma, shared care, co-management, survey, questionnaire