Optegra puts sustainability at the centre of eye care, new report says

Optegra puts sustainability at the centre of eye care, new report says

Optegra Eye Health Care has published its third group-wide Sustainability Report, setting out how the ophthalmic provider is embedding environmental, social and governance principles into day-to-day clinical practice.

The report looks back over the past year and highlights Optegra’s ambition to deliver ophthalmic care that is clinically strong, accessible, efficient and more sustainable for the future.

Dr Ola Spencer, Group Chief Operating Officer at Optegra, said: “Sustainability is not distinct from our corporate strategy; it is embedded in who we are and how we operate.

“For me, sustainable healthcare means building services that are clinically excellent, easier to access, simpler to deliver and more efficient for healthcare systems, while at the same time lessening our environmental impact.

“Our priorities are clear: to embed innovation, pathway standardisation and operational excellence into daily practice, while widening access to high-quality care for both public and private patients.

“Protecting our environment is equally important. Every unnecessary appointment, form or paper process is a cost — for people, healthcare systems and the planet.

“One positive change is our drop-free cataract pathway, which has greatly reduced the use of post-operative bottles. By replacing daily drops with a single injection, we have eliminated an estimated 480,000 bottles and associated paper packaging.”

That reduction in single-use plastics supports Optegra’s sustainability goals and aligns with wider NHS ambitions to cut clinical waste. The report also points to other practical changes, including reusable intraocular lens introducers, which Optegra says generate 4.2 times less waste, and the continued use of electronic medical records to reduce the environmental footprint of eye care.

Digital tools are also playing a growing role in the patient journey. Iris, Optegra’s AI-powered virtual assistant, completed:

• more than 151,000 patient engagements during the year
• 32,349 pre-operative assessments
• 30,745 post-operative assessments.

The report also notes a major corporate milestone for Optegra: joining the EssilorLuxottica group and becoming part of a fast-evolving vision care and med-tech landscape.

Optegra says the partnership brings together its clinical expertise and operational footprint with EssilorLuxottica’s global leadership in vision care, diagnostics, digital innovation and artificial intelligence.

Two environmental achievements highlighted in the report are:

• formal alignment of decarbonisation targets with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C ambition, with a commitment to transparent reporting on progress
• growing revenue while cutting emissions by 25%, which Optegra says demonstrates that healthcare providers can treat more patients while reducing their impact on the planet.

Dr Spencer added: “Healthcare is one of the most carbon-intensive industries in the world and, as an ophthalmology specialist, we know we have a responsibility, and an opportunity, to address this.

“For Optegra, lowering environmental impact is not a separate programme bolted on to the business — it is a direct impact of how we design care.”

“Looking ahead, there is a huge opportunity for Optegra to redefine ophthalmology care — delivering more connected, personalised, accessible and sustainable experiences across Europe.”

The full report can be viewed here: Optegra Sustainability Report.

Optegra Eye Health Care is a specialist provider of ophthalmic services. Established in 2007, with its first hospital opening in 2008, it has completed more than one million eye procedures from 74 eye hospitals across the UK, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Holland.

Alongside private vision correction treatments — including lens replacement, laser eye surgery and implantable contact lenses — Optegra provides cataract surgery privately and through its partnership with the NHS. It also treats medical conditions such as AMD and glaucoma and has launched a treatment for people with the dry form of AMD.

Optegra is owned by EssilorLuxottica, a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of advanced vision care products, eyewear and med-tech solutions. Backed by R&D investment and a broad asset portfolio, the company says it is driving innovation across eye health.

Optegra brings together research, medical expertise and surgical technology, performing more than 170,000 treatments each year across private and publicly funded care.

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Optegra’s latest sustainability report highlights lower emissions, reduced clinical waste, digital innovation and a more sustainable approach to ophthalmic care.

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Optegra’s third sustainability report sets out how the ophthalmic provider is embedding greener, more efficient care into everyday practice, from drop-free cataract pathways to AI-supported patient journeys.