Community Ophthalmic Physician
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Community ophthalmic physician (COP) is a type of public medical
ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...
post in Ireland. COPs are employed by the
Health Service Executive The Health Service Executive (HSE) ( ga, Feidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse Sláinte) is the publicly funded healthcare system in Ireland, responsible for the provision of health and personal social services. It came into operation on 1 January 2005 ...
. COPs see patients referred by general practitioners, public health practitioners, hospital consultants, and other healthcare professionals. COPs may work in a combination of large university teaching hospitals, smaller general hospitals, rural areas, and private practice.


Background

The post of COP was created by the
Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...
in 1980 in response to a report which identified the need for community-based rather than hospital-based primary eye care. 21 posts were created nationally, excluding the
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
area, which continued to operate a hospital-based system. The original plan aimed to provide 1 COP per 100,000 population. Minimum qualifications included a Diploma in Ophthalmology from the
Royal College of Physicians of Ireland The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI), ( ga, Coláiste Ríoga Lianna na hÉireann) is an Irish professional body dedicated to improving the practice of general medicine and related medical specialities, chiefly through the accredit ...
.


Specialist training

Training in medical ophthalmology is overseen by the
Irish College of Ophthalmologists The Irish College of Ophthalmologists or ICO is the recognised body for ophthalmology training in Ireland. Founded in 1991, it represents over 200 ophthalmologists in Ireland. Its current president is Dr Patricia Quinlan. Yvonne Delaney serves ...
. After internship, trainees must undertake a 3-year Basic Surgical Training in ophthalmology followed by 1.5 years of specialist medical ophthalmology training which includes medical retina, paediatric ophthalmology, and uveitis. The exit exam is the
European Board of Ophthalmology The European Board of Ophthalmology (EBO) is the European professional association for ophthalmology. Founded in London in 1992, it is a specialised agency of the European Union of Medical Specialists The European Union of Medical Specialists (U ...
Diploma (EBOD). At the end of the programme, graduates receive the Certificate of Completion of Medical Ophthalmic Specialist Training.


Current role

As of 2011, there are 22 COP posts in Ireland. COPs see and treat a variety of ophthalmic conditions, including: *diabetic eye disease *glaucoma *macular degeneration *strabismus *uveitis COPs also perform screening programmes for amblyopia, strabismus, and vision.


See also

*
Eye care professional An eye care professional (ECP) is an individual who provides a service related to the eyes or vision. It is any healthcare worker involved in eye care, from one with a small amount of post-secondary training to practitioners with a doctoral level ...
*
Ophthalmic medical practitioner An ophthalmic medical practitioner (OMP) is a medical practitioner. In the UK they are registered with a qualification in ophthalmology who is employed to carry out medical eye examinations and prescribe glasses, contact lenses, eyepatches and ...


References

{{reflist Ophthalmology Healthcare in Ireland