25 March 2026

FODO Ireland member update – 25 March

This week:

• SETU sets sights on new optometry programme
• Sight Test fees
• Ireland at the Five Nations
• World Glaucoma Week
• Contact lens news
• Weight loss drugs may be linked to ‘eye strokes'
• At a glance
• Health policy

SETU sets sights on new optometry programme

FODO Ireland members, through the Association of Eye Care Providers of Ireland Educational Charity, have been working with colleagues at South East Technological University (SETU) to establish a new optometry programme to ease workforce pressures in Ireland by developing more homegrown talent.

SETU said after its first governing body meeting in January that its 2026 agenda was "firmly underway", highlighting progress in developing an optometry programme.

The course is planned to start with 24 undergraduates at its Waterford campus in September 2027, and there are plans to increase student numbers in future years.

This week, Taoiseach Micheál Martin opened Glassworks Building One, a €43m enterprise block on the former Waterford Crystal manufacturing site, which will house an eye care centre providing specialist services. It is part of a 37-acre enterprise and innovation campus located beside SETU's academic and research facilities. Read more.

Sight Test fees

David Hewlett, director of policy and strategy, recaps on what we know about PRSI and medical card fees at the present time. FODO Ireland is still awaiting a reply from the government about Medical Card fees. Read the blog.

Ireland at the Five Nations

Daro Bjayou, policy officer, covers the highlights of discussions at the optometric and optical Five Nations conference in January. Read the blog.

World Glaucoma Week

The optical sector marked World Glaucoma Week 2026 (8-14 March) by reiterating the importance of regular sight checks for early glaucoma detection.

Daro Bjayou, FODO Ireland policy officer, said: "Initiatives like World Glaucoma Week are vital to help raise public awareness of the risk factors associated with the onset of the condition and the importance of detecting and treating it early to minimise future cases and unnecessary vision loss."

Read more in Clarity.

Contact lens news

As members know, the EU is introducing a new Unique Device Identifier (UDI) system for medical devices. EuromContact has updated its guest article and factsheet to reflect the revised timeline for the EU's Master Unique Identifier (MUDI) labelling rules for contact lenses.

The Association of Contact Lens Manufacturers has announced the return of its hard-copy product compendium, answering demand from practitioners who find a printed edition easy to reference. You can order the 2026 reference guide on the ACLM website.  

Weight loss drugs may be linked to 'eye strokes'

Researchers in Canada have found a possible association between weight loss drugs and an increased occurrence of a non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION).

The researchers stress that the condition, which can lead to permanent vision loss in one eye, is rare and the analysis cannot prove that the drugs directly cause the condition. Read more in Clarity. 

At a glance:

• The Dry Eye Institute (DEI) will host an international educational retreat for eyecare professionals in Dublin from May 20 to 24. Read more.
• The European Academy of Optometry and Optics is hosting a webinar on understanding emmetropization, the retinal control of eye growth, on 26 March. Register here.
• The British and Irish Orthoptic Society launches a hands-on activity that allows children to explore how the eyes work, why humans have 3D vision, and how predators see the world differently.
• Researchers create 'digital twin' for eye cell research to help with the diagnosis and treatment of macular degeneration. Read more.
• Coral Eyewear announces licensing partnership with Crayola to produce child-friendly crayon-themed glasses "to inspire creative thinking".
• AI software in smart glasses wins prize for its potential to help people with dementia, The Guardian reports.

Health policy news:

Minister responds to IP question

Jennifer MacNeill, the minister for health, has said CORU is satisfied the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005, the Standards of Proficiency and the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Optometrists provide an "appropriate framework" for optometrists to prescribe and administer a limited range of controlled medicines.

She was answering a parliamentary question from Shane Moynihan, TD for Dublin Mid-West, asking if she would introduce independent prescribing legislation for qualified optometrists.

She said that her department was "committed to supporting health care professionals to practice at the top of their licence".

Michael Guthrie, director of policy and regulation at FODO Ireland, said: "We have long made the case for optometrists to be able to train to become independent prescribers. This will help deliver more eye care outside of hospital and closer to home." Read more.

Good intentions and sound policy

A comment piece in the Irish Examiner discusses the arguments for and against free GP care, arguing that good intentions and sound policy are not the same.

The question is not whether everyone deserves good primary care, but whether making all GP visits free overnight would deliver it. Read more.