More people than ever before would go to an optometrist or optician first if they woke up with an eye problem. Just over a third across the UK chose this option, as many as those preferring their GP.
Responses varied between the home nations. Just over half of people surveyed in Scotland would go to an optician or optometrist first, falling to 45% in Northern Ireland, 42% in Wales and 27% in England.
Research for the General Optical Council (GOC) showed that almost nine out of ten were satisfied with their last visit to an optician or optometrist.
There was strong support for remote eye tests and examinations, with 42% saying they would consider it. More than half said they were likely to choose a service offering computer diagnosis, without an optometrist being involved.
Just under 90% said they were satisfied with the protections in place during their last optician visit to protect them from coronavirus.
Steve Brooker, GOC director of regulatory strategy, said: “We are delighted that public confidence and satisfaction in the profession remains high, especially after a particularly challenging couple of years. We want to thank our registrants for their continued hard work and dedication to the profession and for delivering high-quality eyecare to the public.
“It is notable that just as many people with an emergency eye problem would now seek initial care from an optician as a GP. It is encouraging to see the public recognise the ability of registrants to meet a wider range of patient needs, although clearly, for now, the picture is different across the UK.
“We hope to continue seeing high public satisfaction being maintained and encourage registrants to use the insights from this research to help deliver high-quality optical care services.”
The GOC will use the data from the survey to inform its work on legislative reform and its standards review. The full report is available from the GOC.