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We are all gradually beginning to accept that shopping in the UK is becoming more Americanised and that the " One Stop Shop" concept is beginning to take a hold. We can collect furniture ordered online, order white goods, purchase clothing and even gamble ( purchase lottery tickets ) from any of the major Superstores.
Now, American Retail giant Walmart are providing a new service thanks to a grant for just under two million US Dollars from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that was offered to the University of Alabama at the end of last year to start a screening program for Glaucoma at two of their outlet stores. The aim of the incentive is to study and earlier detection of the disease in a high risk segment of the US population i.e. African Americans over the age of forty years who statistically are less likely to attend eye screening in a clinic. This model is an attempt to bring the eye care dorect TO them. The program is aiming to run for the next two years and names independent opticians located alongside thre chosen supermarket stores will be assisted by the installation of optical coherence tomography devices. All of the OCT images will be sent electronically direct to the Department of opthalmology's image analaysis database.
Any patients that will demand treatment that is detected as necessary following the screening will receive their after care at the optometrists alongside the Walmart Vision Centre where screening took place.W
We might soon see the same head in the direction of our local Superstore if the Government see it fit to have universal screening of the British population and hand over a wefty wedge to facilitate a similar program.