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Pharmacies in Scotland are bracing themselves for an increase in the volume of prescriptions for eye treatments after new arrangements for community optometry prescribing were introduced this month.

In a letter to pharmacy contractors, Scotland’s chief pharmaceutical officer Alison Strath said changes to general ophthalmic services will see the number of prescriptions written by independent prescriber community optometrists and sent for dispensing in pharmacies across the country rise.

Strath warned pharmacies to keep their stock levels for “stage two” treatments, which have been indicated for nine conditions, “under review”, although there is no specific date for when the increase in prescriptions will come into effect.

Prescriptions for treatments covering nine eye conditions

The treatments, outlined in her letter, include topical steroids, topical cycloplegics, alternative topical antibiotics, oral antibiotics, topical and oral NSAIDs, topical and oral anti-virals, systemic anti-viral drugs, topical lubricants, alternative topical anti-allergy drugs and oral antihistamines.

The nine conditions include anterior uveitis, anterior and posterior blepharitis, episcleritis, herpes simplex keratitis, herpes zoster ophthalmicus, infective conjunctivitis, marginal keratitis, ocular allergy and ocular rosacea.

Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) urged pharmacies to “familiarise themselves with the updated processes and prepare for possible changes in patient interactions relating to eye care”.

CPS also said pharmacies should prepare for new types of prescriptions being presented and more clinical interactions with patients with eye complaints. The new arrangements do not affect Pharmacy First.

Strath urged health boards to tell pharmacy contractors which optometry practices in their areas have prescribing optometrists so they can prepare for the changes.

“It should be noted that some health board areas (NHS Grampian, NHS Fife, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Ayrshire and Arran) already have locally funded and managed community optometry-led schemes for some of these anterior eye conditions,” Strath said in her letter.

“The additional medicines demand in these boards may be less than in other health boards where the arrangements are new. Pharmacy teams should take this into account when ordering in stocks.”

The optometry prescribing service in Scotland is designed to help patients manage more complex conditions in the community and prevent visits to hospital.