Turning Data into Research

29 September 2026

At Primary Eyecare Services, we’re passionate about using data to support research that improves patient care and strengthens community eye health services. That’s why we were delighted to support medical student Aoife’s MSc research project which has resulted in the published research paper “Evaluation of the Community Urgent Eyecare Service in Greater Manchester, Including the Impact of Independent Prescribing.” The work re-evaluates the Greater Manchester Community Urgent Eyecare Services in a post-pandemic landscape and explores the current and potential role of Independent Prescribing (IP) optometrists.

This work reflects our wider commitment to supporting the next generation of eye care professionals. Primary Eyecare Services is passionate about supporting optometry, ophthalmology and medical students across England, helping them understand the role of community eye care, the importance of research and the impact that high-quality data can have on service development. By sharing insight from real-world pathways and working collaboratively with post-graduate students and academic partners, we want to help build confidence, curiosity and capability in the future optometry and ophthalmology workforce.

The project examined a dataset of more than 55,000 patient records, making it a unique project for Aoife. By analysing real-world service data, the research aimed to better understand the growing role of IP optometrists within CUES and their impact on the delivery of eye care across primary and secondary care settings.

The report concludes that the challenge is no longer understanding what works but implementing proven community eye care models consistently across local systems. Success will depend on strong collaboration between commissioners, hospital eye services, community providers and Local Optical Committees (LOCs).

A Research Topic with Real-World Impact

Aoife chose the subject because of its direct relevance to clinical practice and the evolving landscape of eye care services.

“I chose this dissertation because I thought the result would have real-world practical applications and be relevant to those in clinical practice. It also offered insight into the role of Independent Prescribing Optometrists, which is a significant and growing development within CUES.”

With increasing demand on hospital eye services, understanding how primary care practitioners can support patients closer to home is an important area of research. The findings contribute to a growing evidence base around integrated community eye care and the role of optometrists in managing urgent eye conditions.

Working Together

Supporting future researchers is an important part of advancing healthcare and Aoife credits the collaboration between her academic supervisors and Primary Eyecare Services as being instrumental to the project’s success.

“Primary Eyecare Services were a great help during my dissertation. The team worked extremely hard to produce an in-depth and clean dataset, and they were always easy to contact with any questions.”

Aoife worked closely with Head of Research, Amy Hughes through the project.

“Amy Hughes has been a pleasure to work with and has been very accommodating regarding any issues or queries I had. It was evident that she invested a great deal of time and effort and into producing such a high-quality dataset for my dissertation. Her contribution was instrumental in enabling me to complete this project on such a large scale and with the level of detail it contains.”

The work also received support from colleagues across Primary Eyecare Services, alongside supervisory support from Manchester Royal Eye Hospital.

Learning Through Challenge

Managing and analysing a dataset containing more than 55,000 records was not without its challenges.

“This has been the biggest piece of work I have ever undertaken. Learning how to manage our 55,000-sample dataset on Excel was initially challenging and condensing the commissioning, structure of eye care services and existing research into a single literature review chapter was another demanding task.”

Despite the scale of the project, Aoife says the experience provided valuable skills that will support her future career in medicine, particularly in research, audit work and understanding how healthcare services are commissioned and delivered.

Looking Ahead

Aoife’s passion for ophthalmology stems from both the impact eye care has on people’s live and the innovation taking place across the specialty.

“What draws me to ophthalmology is the opportunity to work with a diverse range of patients, the accessibility of diagnostic techniques and the continuous technological advancement of the field. Eye care has a significant impact on quality of life, making it a deeply rewarding area of medicine.”

Projects like this demonstrate the value of collaboration between healthcare providers, researchers and students. By opening access to high-quality data and supporting emerging researchers, Primary Eyecare Services can help generate evidence that informs service development while supporting the next generation of clinicians.

Learn More

The research was presented at national events and has been published in Ophthalmology and Therapy. You can read the published work here:

Research – Primary Eyecare Services

This collaboration highlights how research partnerships can translate real-world service data into meaningful insights that support the future development of community eye care services.