Glaucoma Care Enhanced Across Greater Glasgow and Clyde
New pathways bring treatment closer to home, reducing hospital waiting lists and improving patient flow.
By Kirsty Lennox
••3 min read
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Generic image of a hospital corridor with blurred signage.
Thousands of patients in Greater Glasgow and Clyde are now receiving enhanced glaucoma care closer to home, thanks to new pathways designed to reduce hospital waiting lists and improve patient flow.
Ophthalmology teams at Gartnavel Royal Hospital and Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) have collaborated with community optometrists to transform glaucoma service delivery. This initiative ensures patients receive appropriate care in accessible locations, optimising the use of specialist hospital appointments.
Glaucoma, a common condition accounting for approximately a third of ophthalmology patients, has seen increasing demand. To manage this, NHSGGC has expanded its Community Glaucoma Service. Specially trained community optometrists can now offer ongoing glaucoma monitoring, assessments, and prescribing support for suitable patients locally.
This shift means many patients no longer need to travel to hospital for routine care, while maintaining a connection to specialist teams. Consultant ophthalmologists can now dedicate more time to patients requiring complex or urgent treatment. Additionally, innovative virtual glaucoma review clinics have been introduced, where specialist tests and imaging results are reviewed remotely by consultant ophthalmologists and specialist optometrists.
The combined approach of community-based care and virtual reviews has significantly boosted capacity within ophthalmology services. Over 3,000 patients have utilised the virtual glaucoma pathway, helping to shorten follow-up appointment waiting times and facilitating the safe discharge of patients into community care. The service is projected to discharge around 1,500 patients to Community Glaucoma Services by year-end.
This strategy aligns with NHSGGC's broader objective of delivering more care closer to home, ensuring patients benefit from expert specialist oversight.
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"Glaucoma is a lifelong condition for many patients, which means regular monitoring is essential to protect people’s sight. As demand for services has increased, we’ve been looking at new ways to ensure patients can access the care they need without unnecessary delays. By working closely with community optometrists and introducing virtual review clinics, we’ve created additional capacity within the service and improved patient flow through the system. Many patients can now receive ongoing care much closer to home, while hospital appointments remain available for those who need specialist assessment and treatment. This has helped us reduce waiting lists and improve access to care across Greater Glasgow and Clyde."
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"Community optometrists are a key part of the NHS eye care pathway and are ideally placed to support patients with ongoing glaucoma care closer to where they live. This partnership between community optometry and hospital services means patients can access high-quality care in a familiar local setting while still benefiting from the expertise of specialist ophthalmology teams when required. It’s a great example of how primary care and hospital services can work together to improve patient experience, reduce waiting times and ensure more people receive the right care at the right time."
