Coinciding with World Glaucoma Week, the ophthalmology department at Dublin's Beaumont Hospital has launched a nurse-led glaucoma clinic designed to shorten waiting times and speed up diagnosis.

Based on an approach currently proving successful in the UK, the new Irish clinic involves a clinical nurse specialist reviewing stable glaucoma patients and patients with suspected glaucoma under specific clinical guidelines.

Beaumont Hospital says while nurse-led, the clinic is fully supported by senior eye specialists.

One-in-10 people over 50 and one-in-200 under 50 in Ireland are at risk of developing glaucoma, which has no obvious early symptoms.

It is the second commonest cause of blind registration in Ireland. Patients with glaucoma-related conditions account for about a quarter of all attendances at eye clinics.

Beaumont says capacity constraints and the growing demands of an ageing population have resulted in increasing delays for new patients at its ophthalmic department.

Consultant ophthalmologist Mr Tim Fulcher says the new shared clinic is already having a positive effect on waiting times.

He expects that over the coming months the new nurse-led service will remove a significant number of patients from the general eye clinics, thereby shortening waiting times for all new patients, especially glaucoma suspects.

World Glaucoma Week runs from March 6 to 12 and aims to raise awareness of this leading cause of blindness.

Glaucoma refers to a group of diseases which affect the eye's ability to maintain its normal internal pressure. This can damage peripheral vision and, if untreated, cause total blindness.

The hospital says the clinic has been made possible through the funding of the clinical nurse specialist post by pharmaceutical company MSD.

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