Community optometry delivering glaucoma care
Glaucoma Awareness Week 2025: 30 June – 6 July

Greater Manchester optometrist Matthew Thornton.
The Glaucoma Enhanced Referral Service (GERS) in Greater Manchester, run by Primary Eye Care Services, exemplifies how community services support patients and the NHS. It is delivered by a range of community optometry practices in Greater Manchester.
Local optometrist Matthew Thornton, whose Specsavers practices are part of the service, says: ‘Patients waited up to 72 weeks to be seen by hospital services. Now, it's under 18 weeks. GERS has contributed to this improvement.
Delivering for patients and supporting the NHS
‘Community optometrists identify suspected glaucoma, referring cases to specialist optometrists for confirmation. This service shows the impact of timely detection and treatment in preventing sight loss,’ explains Matthew.
‘Delivering this service strengthens trust in community optometry. It's reassuring that 99% of patients would recommend the service to others, reflecting the high standards of care.’
‘With patient need forecast to grow, fully utilising community optometrists is vital. We've shown the value of these services in Greater Manchester and there’s an opportunity to replicate this across England, where access varies.’
Thousands of hospital outpatient attendances saved
Tom Mackley, Glaucoma Clinical Lead, Primary Eyecare Services, says: ‘An analysis of Glaucoma Enhanced Referral Services (GERS) provided by Primary Eyecare Services in 11 different NHS areas considered the outcomes of 14,376 patients seen between 2021 and 2024.
‘Following a dedicated glaucoma assessment, just under half of these patients could be discharged with advice rather than requiring referral to hospital (49.2%).
‘This saved over 7,000 hospital outpatient attendances with all the associated cost, inconvenience, and worry. It demonstrates the potential impact if such services were universally adopted across all areas of England.’