You can now get walk-in assessment and treatment for red, sore or itchy eyes through your local optometrist.

What is the Red Eye Service?

This is a free service available to all patients over the age of 12 years who are registered with a Manchester GP.

The service provides a patient experiencing recently occurring red eye conditions with appropriate treatment closer to home or work.

The service is provided by accredited optometrists (also known as opticians) with the specialist knowledge and skills to carry out this work at a local optometry practice.

Eye conditions which can be treated in the Red Eye Service.

The service is designed for recently occurring medical eye conditions such as:

• Red eye/s or eyelids.
• Significant recent discharge from or watering of the eye
• Irritation and inflammation of eye/s or eyelids
• Stye – infection at the edge of the eyelid
• Tear dysfunction – dry eye

If you are unsure whether your symptoms qualify, please contact one of the optometry practices who can advise you.

How do I Access the Red Eye Service?

• View a list of optometrists providing the Service

Please be aware that your normal optometry practice may have chosen not to offer this service.

You can contact any of these practices directly (self-refer) to make an appointment and ask to be seen under the Red Eye Service.

Appointments are available during normal working hours and you will be seen within 24 hours.

Alternatively, your GP or other healthcare professional may refer you to the optometrist for treatment.

What Happens when I See the Optometrist?

The optometrist will discuss your eye history, any symptoms you may be experiencing and any related medical history.

You will receive an eye assessment relevant to your symptoms. This does not replace the routine sight test.

Please take your glasses and a list of current medications with you to the appointment.

As a result of the consultation you may be:

• Given appropriate treatment by the optometrist, this may include a follow-up appointment.
• Referred to your GP for appropriate treatment if your eye condition is related to your general health.
• Referred directly to the hospital eye service, if your eye condition is more serious.
• Following your appointment the optometrist will notify your GP about the outcome of your consultation in order to ensure your medical records are updated.

This service does not replace the routine eye examination.

A sight test will not be performed as part of the assessment or treatment and you will not be issued with a prescription for glasses.

You may not be able to drive immediately after your eye examination.

Eye Conditions not Treated under the Red Eye Service

If you have any of the following conditions you must go directly to your nearest accident and emergency department or Manchester Royal Eye Hospital Oxford Road Manchester M13 9WL:

• Sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes
• Considerable eye pain
• Significant trauma, such as penetration injury or lacerations to the eye(s) or lid(s)
• Chemical injury or burns
• Problems arising from recent eye surgery

MEAS provides GP, practice nurse and HCA appointments during weekday evenings and at weekends, increasing the capacity and extending the operating hours of general practice in Manchester.

The service is provided from hubs in existing GP surgeries, strategically chosen to ensure ease of access and equity for patients.

• www.manchesterpcp.co.uk/services

If possible please try to telephone reception before 10am if you require a home visit.

A doctor or nurse may phone you back as it may be that your problem can be dealt with by telephone advice, or that it would be more appropriate to send a nurse, or indeed arrange a hospital attendance.

House visits are only available for patients who are housebound because of illness or disability.

Please remember that several patients can be seen in the practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit.

There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the surgery.

A home visit by a GP is appropriate where a patient is either terminally ill or bed bound – when travel by a car could cause a deterioration in the medical condition or unacceptable discomfort.

Situations where home visits are not deemed necessary:

• Symptoms of fever, cold, cough, sore throat, flu, back pain, earache, headache, diarrhoea/vomiting and most cases of abdominal pain. These patients are well enough to be brought to the surgery by car.
• Children with a temperature are not at further risk from going outdoors. They may not be well enough to walk or travel by bus but car transport would be acceptable.
• Common problems in the elderly such as poor mobility, joint pain and generally feeling ill would also be best treated at the surgery where we have more resources. The exception to this is if the patient is bed bound.
• The doctor should not be expected to spend time on a visit due to transport difficulties. Please ask for the help of friends or neighbours or consider the use of a taxi service.

here are many other staff that are part of the practice team.

These include district nurses, health visitors, MacMillan nurses, midwives, alcohole linkworkers, phlebotomists and community mental health workers.

All appointments should be booked with the receptionists.

The whole of the practice team meet each week to discuss the treatment of medical problems and any management issues that have arisen.

If you require any vaccinations relating to foreign travel you need to complete a Travel Risk Assessment Form.

This form will include details about which countries and areas within countries that you are visiting to determine what vaccinations are required.

It is important to complete the questionnaire as early as possible – at least 6 weeks before you travel – as an appointment will be required with the practice nurse to receive the vaccinations.

These vaccines have to be ordered as they are not a stock vaccine.

Your appointment needs to be at least 2 weeks before you travel to allow the vaccines to work.

Some travel vaccines are ordered on a private prescription and these incur a charge over and above the normal prescription charge.

This is because not all travel vaccinations are included in the services provided by the NHS.

The practice nurse and health care assistant hold weight management clinics and give advice to help patients who are overweight.

Children – vaccinations take place on Wednesday mornings between 09:30-11:30.

Please book an appointment at reception.

If the timing of this clinic is difficult you may come at other times by appointment.

Adults – routine vaccinations and travel immunisations are carried out by appointment with the practice nurse.

If you require travel vaccinations please call into the surgery to complete a Travel Risk Assessment form, please do this no later than 4 weeks before your travel departure date.

For smoking cessation advice, please book an appointment with the practice nurse or the health care assistant.

If you have been advised by the surgery to submit a smoking review on a regular basis, please request a Smoking Review form.

The morning after pill is prescribed and can be effective up to 72 hours after unprotected intercourse.

A coil can be fitted up to five days later and continues to provide contraception.

This is available from doctors and nurse practitioners.

Patients may contact the surgery first thing in the morning and after speaking to the nurse will be offered a prescription that morning.

If needed at weekends this prescription can be bought over the counter or obtained from the walk in centre.