News Archive 2008
Monday 12th June 2008
A Report on Vision Screening for Children
Please see the file here regarding this information.
New GOS contract - England
The AOP offers advice on all aspects of the new GOS contract in England. The various documents relating to the contract can be found by linking to AOP website.
Alternatively, the AOP can be contacted directly for advice on any part of the contract or it's implementation.
It is anticipated that the new GOS regulations and guidance will be available during the first week of May and a series of national events is taking place to support PCTs and their Support Agencies to implement these changes.
NHS Primary Care
Contracting is arranging six national events throughout England,
between 29 April and 15 May, to help prepare PCTs to implement changes
to the GOS contract following the Department of Health’s confirmation
that the revised Primary Ophthalmic Services and GOS Contracts
Regulations will be laid in May and come into force on 1st August 2008.
The Transitional Regulations will come into force earlier to allow PCTs
to work as if the new regulations were already in force, the intention
being that implementation should be complete by the time the new
regulations come into force.
Key speakers at these events
will include Derek Busby, Head of Eye Care Services, Department of
Health, Graham Kent, Barrister, DH Legal Services and John Hearnshaw,
Specialist Advisor to NHS PCC, Eye Care. Each event will be supported
by the local NHS Primary Care Contracting Advisor and include input
from a local PCT Optometric Advisor.
The workshops are live and booking is available on the events pages of the NHS Primary Care Contracting website. Delegate spaces are still available at all the events however they are filling quickly so be sure to book your place. You will need to book on line at http://www.primarycarecontracting.nhs.uk/events/ .
The letter to all from the professional bodies on the timetable for the new GOS contract is also available on the LOCSU website in the commissioning section. The link is: http://www.loc-net.org.uk/locsu/119633285632663.html
Download Letter templates here
Monday 28th April 2008
AOP Annual Report
The Association of Optometrists' Annual Report and the Full
Financial Statement for 2007 are now available online. Please
follow this link to view it: http://www.aop.org.uk/about/about_report.html
If you have any queries regarding the report please do not hesitate to contact the AOP.
Wednesday 23rd April 2008
Antioxidant vitamins are safe for macular degeneration.
There has recently been a Cochrane meta-analysis review about
anti-oxidants and mortality in the national media which patients may
have been asking you about: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7349980.stm.
Patients are currently advised to take high dose multivitamin
supplements to prevent the progression of macular degeneration and I
would like to take this opportunity to clarify the situation. The
quick answer is that for patients taking Occuvite Preservision for
macular degeneration there is no need to worry and they should continue
as before.
To go into further detail, the Cochrane review performed a meta-analysis of patient taking vitamin supplements: http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clsysrev/articles/CD007176/frame.html.
They analysed 67 randomised clinical trials. in which a total of
232,550 participants were randomised to antioxidant supplements
(beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium) versus
placebo or no intervention as general health supplements.
Meta-analysis showed in the analyses of the trials with low
risk of bias, beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E significantly
increased mortality. Randomised trials with adequate bias control found
no significant effect of vitamin C. In some analyses, selenium seems to
reduce mortality. However, this review did not assess
antioxidant supplements for treatment of specific diseases (tertiary
prevention) or antioxidant supplements for patients with demonstrated
specific needs of antioxidants. In the AREDS trial 4753
patients were randomised to take placebo, vitamins alone, zinc alone or
vitamins and zinc combined over 6.5 years and those patients with
healthy maculas were compared to those with drusen and established
macular degeneration. A protective effect of high dose Vitamins
A, C & E, Beta carotene and Zinc was found for patients with
early macular changes, i.e. drusen, for progression to macular
degeneration. There was no evidence to support taking
vitamin supplements in patients with healthy maculae, ie no drusen.
(Drusen are the asymptomatic macular changes which are thought to
be the precursors of macular degeneration).
There was a specific analysis in the AREDS trial performed looking at mortality: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1473208.
This found no increase in mortality in any of the treatment
groups and indeed there was a reduced mortality in those patients
taking zinc. There was a generalised increase in mortality in
patients with macular degeneration in comparison to healthy subjects
that was not affected in either direction by taking the supplements.In
summary, patients who have drusen or macular degeneration should take
the AREDS supplements. These are commercially available as
Occuvite Preservision. Beta-carotene has been associated in
animal studies with lung cancer and smoking is associated with macular
degeneration. Smokers should therefore be encouraged to quit and
be prescribed supplements without beta-carotene such as I-Caps.
There is no evidence base for recommending non
AREDS supplements such as I-Caps in patients with drusen who
are not smokers or any supplements in patients who do not have drusen
and healthy maculae.
Patients should be reassured that, based on the available evidence, they are safe to continue taking AREDS supplements to try to prevent the onset of macular degeneration
Paul G Ursell MBBS MD FRCOphth
Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon
April 2008
Email: enquiries@cataract-doctor.com
Telephone: 0845 680 2020
Tuesday 24th April 2008
LOC Bulletin now available
Latest LOC Bulletin Now available - please click here to view
Tuesday 24th April 2008
Smoking Cessation
In January 2008 124 Questionnaires sent out to all Optometrists in Surrey with 19 returns (15.3 %)
The aim of the questionnaires was to:
1. Assess the level of stop smoking intervention carried out by optical practices
2. Assess the interest of optical practices in receiving further appropriate training with a view to the implementation of Optometrists ‘Local Enhanced Service’
Conclusion
A number of themes did emerge as follows:
- The majority of Optometrists do not ask a clients smoking status which indicates that they do not get involved for a diverse number of reasons
- None of the respondents knew of the Stop Smoking Service
- Interest in smoking cessation training was variable but of those who did express an interest , level one training was preferable
Recommendations
- Ensure that the stop smoking service is made known to all Optometrists in Surrey via leaflet/ phone call/visit to cover level one interventions and signposting
- Distribution of leaflets and literature to all Optometrists
- Liaise more closely with the local Optical Committee to find ways of effectively disseminating and sharing information
For more information please contact Glynis John on glynis.john@nhs.net or telephone: 01483 532828