As Scotland marks 20 years since it became the only UK nation to introduce free NHS-funded eye examinations for people of all ages in 2006, The College of Optometrists is calling on the next Scottish Government to continue leading the way in expanding community eyecare services to further improve access to eye care and prevent avoidable sight loss.
Ophthalmology is NHS Scotland’s largest outpatient service. Latest data shows there are over 59,800 patients waiting for a first ophthalmology outpatient appointment in Scotland, of which over 3400 patients are waiting over 52 weeks for an appointment [1].
With the number of people in Scotland living with a significant degree of sight loss estimated to rise from 183,000 to 214,000 by 2030 [2], it’s critical that everyone in Scotland can get the specialised eyecare they need faster and closer to home. This would reduce hospital waiting lists and delays to treatment, as well as freeing up capacity for more complex cases.
The College of Optometrists has today published its Manifesto for Eye Care in Scotland, setting out its four priority recommendations for the next Scottish government to build on this strong foundation and further advance access to optometry-led community eyecare in Scotland:
1. Expand community eye care services
Early diagnosis and treatment to prevent avoidable sight loss requires universal access to enhanced community eye care services. The College is calling on Scottish health policymakers to safeguard funding for existing community eyecare services during the next government, such as the NHS Community Glaucoma Service [3], and prioritise the rapid scale-up of these services across the country – including in the islands and rural communities – to deliver more specialised care closer to home and increase hospital capacity for complex cases.
2. Invest in a sustainable, skilled optometry workforce
To meet the growing need for delivering enhanced community eyecare services across Scotland, it’s critical the government commits to further investment in education and training to ensure Scotland has the optometrists it needs, now and in the future. The restoration of government funding for free access to Docet’s Continued Professional Development (CPD) resources for optometrists in Scotland would bring Scotland back in line with the rest of the UK, giving equitable access to high-quality specialist CPD to ensure eyecare services are delivered safely and maintaining their licence to practice.
3. Prioritise digital connectivity
Inconsistencies in digital systems are causing delays to diagnosis and treatment for patients. Ensuring all locum optometrists have access to NHS email and the Scottish Care Information (SCI) Gateway, and the sector-wide adoption of standardised digital image files to improve sharing between hospital and community eyecare services would speed up referrals and joined-up care, helping prevent avoidable sight loss.
4. Address inequalities in access to eye care
Scotland is the only UK nation with universal access to NHS-funded eye care, yet only around half of people say they would go to an optometrist first for an eye problem – many say they will go to their GP, A&E, or nowhere at all [4].
Public education campaigns are needed to encourage people to attend for regular eye tests with their local optometrist, specifically targeted at people in more deprived communities, as well as targeted support and prevention programmes to help reduce avoidable sight loss and reduce inappropriate pressure on GPs and A&Es.
Kathryn Trimmer MCOptom, Scotland Council Member, The College of Optometrists, said: “We call on the next Scottish government to build on Scotland’s eye care success by continuing to invest in optometry services in local communities across the country to meet patients’ needs, making full use of Scotland’s highly skilled optometry workforce, and further supporting training and advanced qualifications. This will support optometrists to deliver more care closer to home, so more patients receive the eyecare they need, when and where they need it.
“There are 1600 highly trained optometrists working in Scotland, delivering almost 2.5 million NHS eye examinations each year and with many also providing additional services, such as treating acute eye problems. People across Scotland need their access to high-quality community eyecare services to be protected and expanded to prevent avoidable sight loss.”
References
- Public Health Scotland, NHS waiting times for January 2026 Trend data by NHS board and specialty. Data accessed 5 March 2026. Available at: https://scotland.shinyapps.io/phs-sot-waiting-times/
- RNIB Scotland, Looking for a better Scotland, 2025. Available at: https://www.rnib.org.uk/news/looking-for-a-better-scotland-manifesto/
- Scottish Government. Equality Impact Assessment: Community Glaucoma Service 2024. Available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/community-glaucoma-service-equality-impact-assessment-results/
- General Optical Council. Public Perceptions Research 2025, https://optical.org/resource/public-perceptions-research-2025.html
