11 July 2025
FODO member update - 11 July
This week:
- Public is positive about primary eye care
- MPs focus on glaucoma awareness
- Free FODO CPD webinar
- Join the Domiciliary Eyecare Committee
- Recall: Zaditen 0.25 mg/ml eye drops
- At a glance
- Policy news
Public is positive about primary eye care
The latest GOC public perception survey shows a high level of confidence in the standard of care the public receives from primary eye care, with 93% of patients reporting a positive experience.
Overall, public satisfaction with opticians/optometrists remains high, with 87% reporting satisfaction. Notably, the proportion of those who are very satisfied has increased to 55% from 50% in 2024. People with at least one vulnerability marker and ethnic minorities reported lower satisfaction rates, but more than 85% reported being satisfied.
This outcome compares to record low satisfaction rates with the NHS in general; the last survey showed just 21% of people said they were satisfied.
Steve Brooker, director of regulatory strategy at the GOC, said: "When it comes to eye care, our survey shows that government can make the shift from hospital to community-based care set out in its 10 Year Health Plan, knowing that the public trust optical professionals and are satisfied with the care they receive."
MPs focus on glaucoma awareness
Optometrist and MP Adam Shockat led a Westminster Hall debate to raise awareness about Glaucoma Awareness Week.
Shockat said that as an optometrist, he had seen firsthand how glaucoma affected his patients "quietly and often without warning", stressing the need for raising awareness about the condition. He went on to explain how Paul Tyler, a Liberal Democrat MP, had his glaucoma spotted early thanks to a routine sight test 25 years ago, helping him prevent sight loss ever since.
Gregory Campbell, Helen Morgan and other MPs who participated in the debate all supported promoting the benefits of regular sight tests in diagnosing glaucoma.
The debate also covered how optometrist-led community glaucoma services have helped to reduce referrals to hospital by up to 79% and that national coverage of such schemes could free up 300,000 hospital appointments a year.
Responding, Stephen Kinnock, minister for care, said he was keen to "keep the dialogue going" on glaucoma. Recognising the "devastating" impacts of sight loss, he outlined how the 10 Year Plan would help by shifting care from hospital to the community, better utilising digital solutions, and focusing on prevention.
Turning to glaucoma detection, Kinnock said: "This government takes glaucoma very seriously, as it is one of the main causes of sight loss. It is a time-sensitive condition, and early detection and treatment can help to slow down or prevent vision loss. I acknowledge the vital role played by community optometry in protecting people's eye health across the country.
"Sight tests play a vital role in the early detection of glaucoma. Most glaucoma patients are identified through routine sight tests. It is not possible to 'feel' glaucoma; it does not cause any symptoms, and the eye pressure does not always cause pain. That is why regular sight tests are so essential, so that conditions such as glaucoma can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible."
He went on to add: "Everyone should have a sight test every two years, and more often if it is considered clinically necessary." To promote the benefits of sight tests, he said his department "always looks for opportunities to remind the public through social media".
The minister also supported enhanced eye care services, including glaucoma referral refinement services. He said: "These schemes can save patients time and worry, and reduce unnecessary referrals, while freeing up space for others who need specialist attention in hospital. More than 70% of ICBs currently have some coverage of referral refinement in place."
Free FODO CPD webinar
Every GOC registrant can now watch the 'Think like an expert witness' webinar and gain a CPD point.
The webinar covers medico-legal aspects of eye care and explains how to optimise clinical documentation to support best practice and legal compliance. Several real-world case examples are also discussed to illustrate the impact of record keeping on complaint outcomes. Attendees who attended the live webinar all rated it as good or excellent.
Join the Domiciliary Eyecare Committee
FODO is looking for a member to join the sector domiciliary eyecare committee (DEC).
DEC is where domiciliary eye care leaders discuss and progress domiciliary eye care matters across the UK.
If you are interested, please send a short cover note about your experience delivering domiciliary eye care and a copy of your CV to [email protected] no later than 5pm on 31 July.
Recall: Zaditen 0.25 mg/ml eye drops
Théa Pharmaceuticals Limited has notified the MHRA of an out-of-specification event related to environmental monitoring during manufacturing, which may increase the risk of microbial contamination of the medicinal product.
As a precaution, the company has recalled the specific batch mentioned in this notification. If you supply the product, then the advice is to "stop supplying the batch [4V64] immediately. Quarantine all stock and return it to your supplier using your supplier's approved process."
To date, the company has not received any reports of adverse incidents or product quality complaints related to this potential defect.
- CNBC reports that Meta has purchased 6% of EssilorLuxottica in an AI push
- Opportunity: NHS Scotland is recruiting for two educational lead positions within the Foundation Training Year workstream. Learn more
- Specsavers responds to 10 Year Health Plan for England. If you would like to share your opinion or draft an article on the 10 Year Health Plan, please contact [email protected]
- GOC has extended its knowledge hub for three years to help the ETR's implementation. Read more
- Nominations open for Optician Awards 2025.
- The NHS is consulting on a proposed cut to cataract surgery tariffs in England. NHS England states that the goal is to reduce the cost of cataract surgery and release funds for other ophthalmology services. It says it has modelled the impact, and the proposals will benefit NHS trusts, with changes to cataract tariffs reducing income by £273,000 but increasing the total income of other tariffs by £66 million. Independent sector providers would see a combined reduction of £64 million, with 13 providers seeing a total increase of £510,000 between them.
- The latest RTT waiting time data in England shows that the NHS continues to make progress in tackling the backlog for consultant-led care, with a new 26-month low. However, news about a potential doctors' strike might reverse recent gains.

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