Optometry Virtually Connected keynote speaker Dr Evgenia Konstantakopoulou discusses current research projects and reveals the importance of expanding scope of practice in optometry

Optometry Australia’s flagship online conference, Optometry Virtually Connected, is back by popular demand and taking place Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June 2024.  

Registrations are now open for the online event, which offers up to 40 (14.5T) hours of quality-assured CPD and is completely free for Optometry Australia members. The weekend will see a fantastic line-up of speakers, including Prof Bang Bui, Prof Michael Kalloniatis, Dr Jack Phu, Dr Dennis Lowe and Prof Stephanie Watson, led by keynote speaker Dr Evgenia Konstantakopoulou.  

Based in the UK, Dr Evgenia Konstantakopoulou is an academic and research optometrist, specialising in glaucoma. She is currently an Honorary Associate Professor at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, an Assistant Professor of Optometry at the University of West Attica, Greece and a Senior Research Fellow at Moorfields Eye Hospital. For the past 10 years she has been a core member of the laser in glaucoma and ocular hypertension (LiGHT) trial. 

Working in two countries provides her with the opportunity to work across different research areas in different settings. ‘My current research focusses on the delivery of glaucoma care in the UK and in Greece, but with varied focus points between the two countries, as they differ significantly in their respective research needs,’ Evgenia said.  

‘In the UK I have recently worked on the utilisation of optometrists in the delivery of SLT, following on from the LiGHT trial and our ongoing work on SLT. We know SLT can be effective, and guidelines have already been adapted to reflect that, allowing more patients to be drop free while also saving money from healthcare systems. Subsequently, by utilising optometrists for the delivery of SLT and other ophthalmic laser procedures, we can improve the services offered to patients and release time to ophthalmologists to deal with complex and surgical cases.  

‘But this shift needs to be done in an organised manner, supported by evidence. This is what my colleagues and I have focussed on recently. Our work on SLT is also ongoing and we are still analysing LiGHT trial data that will be published very soon.  

‘In Greece my current focus is on glaucoma epidemiology and level of care. There is limited information on the glaucomas treated in Greece and the level of care available, while there are also differences between the public healthcare system and private providers. My current research focuses on recording epidemiological data on glaucoma patients seen within the public healthcare system, including the level of care available to them, ultimately aiming at assessing how services can improve and possibly how glaucoma can be detected sooner in the community,’ she said.  

Evgenia’s Optometry Virtually Connected keynote presentation will be on expanding scope of practice. She believes that optometrists have been shown to be a very skilled workforce, capable of supporting healthcare systems worldwide in times of crisis and in times of normality too. 

‘Creating a structured, graded environment of ophthalmic care, relieving burden from the hospitals, and releasing valuable time for ophthalmologists, while also bringing ophthalmic care closer to patients are some of the benefits of involving optometrists in the delivery of ophthalmic care. There is a large evidence-base supporting the safe, efficient and cost-effective involvement of optometrists,’ she comments.  

When asked for international examples of expanding scope for optometrists, she points to the UK, who are leading by example.  

‘A lot of data on the expanded scope of optometry comes from the UK. We have evidence to support the safe and efficient filtering of glaucoma referrals, co-management of cataract in the community, as well as management of acute ophthalmology services by independent prescribing optometrists in the community, to name some.  

‘Within hospitals we have optometrists running autonomous clinics in many subspecialties as well as delivering ophthalmic lasers. We now have two university-based courses on ophthalmic lasers by non-medical professionals that are running in the UK.  

‘I was heavily involved in the design of one of these programs, offered jointly by UCL’s Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Optometry Education, which was based on medical education principles and was informed by our preceding research into the role of ophthalmic practitioners in the delivery of laser treatments. We have also already audited optometrists delivering SLT at Moorfields. Our data indicates a safe and efficient practice, and it is this data that can and should be used to support calls for expansions of practice, alongside other research in this area,’ she said.  

Find out more about Optometry Virtually Connected and register now.