Independent Prescribing
 


Optometrists should always be the first port of call for any eye problems, over recent years they have become like the GPs of the eyes. We have expert training and specialist equipment to provide an accurate diagnosis. The majority of optometrists in Wales now provide urgent eye care, however only a small percentage can prescribe the medication required to treat more serious eye conditions.

In 2019, Ceri and Lisa Probert became the first optometrists in the county and two of a handful of optometrists in Wales to be given independent prescribing rights. Training for this involved an 18-month postgraduate university course, an intensive period of working in a hospital eye department and a national exam.

Where appropriate we can write an NHS prescription which you can take to any local pharmacy, which has saved countless patients trips to the hospital or to their GP to get a prescription.

"Through auditing our results, we have found that when people come to see us for emergency eye care, the chance of us then referring them to hospital or to their GP has dropped from about 6 in 20 to 1 in 20. This has saved countless hours and anxious trips to the hospital for our patients" - Ceri Probert, Specialist IP Optometrist & Director

The types of conditions managed by independent prescribers include:

  • Dry eye and blepharitis
  • Scratched eye (corneal abrasions)
  • Eye infections including bacterial and viral conjunctivitis
  • Allergies (including hayfever)
  • Uveitis/ iritis and other forms of eye inflammation
  • Marginal keratitis
  • Episcleritis
  • Plus many more...

 

If you have any concerns about eye symptoms that you may have, please give us a call.