Morven Campbell is an optometrist and dispensing optician, and is the co-owner of Iris Blue Optical, one of the first pilot practices to contribute to the SCONe project. Image "After 25 years as an employed optometrist, my business partner Evelyn and I opened our own independent practice 3 years ago. In doing this we relished the opportunity to provide care and service exactly the way we wanted, and imaging technology was always central to that provision. Throughout my career I have seen imaging technology improve and this has changed how we manage patients. I knew imaging and scanning healthy eyes allowed me to have baseline measures for early detection of change and better management of disease. In pathology, imaging has been invaluable in ensuring correct speed of access to secondary care, ultimately improving outcomes and patient quality of life. Over the years I have seen many patients with sight threatening pathology, and those with conditions where treatments are improving but can hopefully improve further. In the case of wet age-related macular degeneration, the speed of diagnosis and treatment is paramount so the earlier it is detected, imaged, referred and treated the better. Any research that can help with this is to be welcomed. We decided to get involved with SCONe to be part of the community that drives research into eye disease and treatments, to ensure that those pathologies that currently result in loss of vision can be managed better and patients’ lives ultimately improved. The SCONe team have been wonderful to work with, they have worked around our needs as a practice, timing visits to suit us and dealing with all technical aspects. All communication with the imaging technology and software suppliers has been handled with them. This hasn’t impacted my patient care model in any way, and it hasn’t increased my workload. Patients have been interested to hear about the project and keen to be part of the future of healthcare. I would encourage all optometry practices to get involved and take their place as a facilitator to invaluable eyecare research. The more practices that get involved, the faster research will move and the earlier we will all see the benefits." This article was published on 2024-08-22