Click on Right Hand blocks for detailed information

All referrals, except for cataract, wet AMD and emergencies, should be sent to The Practice: Ophthalmology for triage.  

Click on the link to the right for a full version of the recommended pathways.

Direct Cataract Referral Protocol.

Cataract referrals in the Buckinghamshire PCT area should now only be made by Optometrists   accredited to do so. Optometrists not accredited and GPs should refer to a colleague on the list. For information on how to gain accreditation, contact the secretary at [email protected].

Please refer also to the more recent cataract referrals threshold document, issued by Bucks PCT in October 2011.  You may also find this NHS link useful for general advice on referring for cataract   http://www.cks.nhs.uk/cataracts.

Wet AMD: The Patient Journey

At SMH, referrals are prioritised to the next retinal clinic, usually on a Monday or Tuesday, where patients will have OCT, fundus photos, and then FFA if indicated.

In South Bucks patients are seen within two weeks of referral, in one of the retinal clinics. If this is at WGH they will have OCT and FFA at the same visit, where a further appointment will be arranged within two weeks for Lucentis injection when this is indicated. If their first appointment is at AH, they will need a further appointment at WGH, for OCT , before an appointment for Lucentis may be arranged. All follow-ups are at WGH. AH hopes to acquire an OCT, so this situation may change.

At KE VII, all referrals go to a one-stop macular assessment clinic, where OCT and FFA may both be performed. If treatment is required, patients will be booked into a treatment clinic     very quickly, with the process usually being completed within two weeks.

Glaucoma

Please be aware of the joint colleges (Dec 2010) guidance on referral criteria, available in the Practitioner Matters section of this website.

Practitioners who are accredited on the  IOP Refinement scheme can refine suspect ocular hypertensive (OHT) patient referrals using Goldmann Applanation Tonometry. Non-accredited optometrists should refer to accredited optometrists within their practice if possible, or to 'The Practice: Ophthalmology' if not. Patients with suspicious discs or   visual fields defects should be referred in the normal way. Contact the secretary [email protected] for details about this scheme.

The following link on glaucoma may be of interest

http://www.cks.nhs.uk/glaucoma