Staffordshire Direct Access Cataract Referral Training - 03/03/2014

Mark McCracken led a training event on Tuesday 25^th February, on behalf of Staffordshire LOC, for optometrists who wished to be accredited to the Direct Access Cataract (DAC) referral pathways in North and South Staffordshire.

Initially just 4 optometrists were signed up to the training, but once news of the event had been announced on the website, 11 optometrists attended on the night.

 The presentation covered the following areas:

• The background to the pathway: Action on Cataracts initiative (2000)
• An outline of the basic pathway
• The procedure: what to expect on the day of surgery
• Complicating factors (medications, general health, trauma, anatomical, lifestyle)
• Types of cataract
• The examination for referral (what to include, things to look out for)
• The importance of counselling the patient prior to referral, explaining the risks and benefits and clearing up any misconceptions
• Factors to consider when offering patient a choice of hospital
• Optometrists’ paperwork
• What the patient should expect on the day of surgery
• Post-operative care, including a discussion around the optometrist-led post-op cataract community eye care pathway in the north
• VA thresholds for referral

 If you would like to attend a future DAC training event in order to be accredited to participate in the DAC referral pathway, please inform Alison at the LOC office.  She will inform you of a date for training once the LOC has received a sufficient number of expressions of interest.

An electronic version of the GOS 18 is now available to download from the Publications and leaflets tab.