A VIRTUAL eye care emergency consultation programme, pioneered in the Forth Valley, could be extended to cover all of Scotland during the coronavirus crisis.

The teleophthalmology system, to detect and diagnose eye conditions, was trialled in the NHS Forth Valley area allows clinicians to provide quality care outside of clinics, bringing consultant opinions to community optician practices.

It means people are able to attend an emergency appointment with an optometrist and can connect digitally to doctors, who can decide if the patient needs to attend hospital.

The technology, which uses a slit lamp microscope as well as a tablet computer and allows for audio to be transmitted too, is aimed at reducing unnecessary hospital visits and crowded clinics – especially important during the Covid-19 outbreak.

This method has been on trial around the area covered by NHS Forth Valley since April 2018, as well as in NHS Grampian, and more health boards could follow.

The system was developed in collaboration with the University of Strathclyde, where Dr Mario Giardini from the biomedical engineering department worked with honorary lecturer Dr Iain Livingstone.

Dr Livingstone, NHS Forth Valley consultant ophthalmologist and project lead, said: “Covid-19 has completely disrupted traditional eye care and it is now critical to avoid unnecessary hospital visits, reduce crowded clinics, and treat patients in their own home.

“Modern mobile technology enables this.

“We are progressing the teleophthalmology programme across Scotland, and have 12 activated teleoptometry practices so far, re-centring acute eye care to optometric practices.

“We are delighted to have just activated our most rural site in Shetland.

“The teleophthalmology system means an eye specialist is able to review patients at the moment advice is needed, offering decision support to the high street optician, and ensuring any follow up treatment is more streamlined.

“Personally, I think this is the most important development in modern eye care, catalysed by the present crisis.”

Prescriptions can also be issued this way with the range of conditions dealt with dramatically extended, minimising travel at a time when people are being asked to only go out for essential reasons.

Dr Giardini added: “The system has allowed a new way of working and will go from a number of selected pilots within hospital A&E departments to optometrists throughout the country.

“It’s not automatic that every NHS board will take part and is a decision for every individual board to make.

“Selected optometrists will have devices attached to their equipment so they can connect to a specialist who will decide what cases need to come into hospital when there is an immediate threat to sight or life.”