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We call on NHS England leaders to work with professional and patient eye care organisations to improve the models and funding of eye care services to protect patients.

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) and The College of Optometrists are issuing interim recommendations on routine cataract care to help rapidly increase hospital capacity to see patients with urgent, complex or sight threatening disease.

Ahead of Integrated Care Systems (ICS) becoming mandatory bodies in England in July 2022, Shveta Bansal, Clinical Director of Ophthalmology at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Clinical Lead for the Ophthalmology Collaborative in Lancashire and South Cumbria ICS, and Hayley Michell, Managing Consultant (NHS Transformation Unit) and Ophthalmology Programme Lead, share their experience of […]

There have been several case reports on the use of nitrous oxide in the presence of intraocular gas after vitreoretinal surgery with severe loss of vision due to central retinal artery occlusion.2-6 There have also been some cases identified via national incident reporting systems. Nitrous oxide leaves the bloodstream and vitreous cavity quickly once inhalation is terminated,7 restoring the position of the lens-iris diaphragm and reperfusion of the central artery can happen. However, irreparable damage to the retina is known to occur after 100 minutes of ischaemia.7 The extent of damage to the eye may therefore be dependent on the duration of general anaesthesia / use of Entonox and the size of intraocular gas bubble at that time. There is a theoretical risk of harm (raised intraocular pressure or hypoxic iris) in anterior chamber gas bubbles during keratoplasty in the same circumstances, that is flying, high altitude or nitrous oxide use. It is currently unclear whether this represents a significant risk, as there is little published, but some corneal surgeons are warning their patients not to fly postoperatively.

This is a guide to some of the organisations that you should be aware of and a list of UK appointment types.

The College of Optometrists and The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) have developed a joint vision for the two professions to continue to work together to support the delivery of safe and sustainable eye care services in England.