Over 220,000 people in Ireland are blind or vision impaired and this figure is expected to jump to 272,000 by 2020, an expert group has warned.

According to the National Coalition for Vision Health in Ireland, the majority of people with some loss of sight can be medically managed to ensure that they do not move to total blindness. However, the current provision of eye care services in Ireland is fragmented, putting many of these people at risk.

The coalition was convened in 2012 by the national sight loss organisation - the NCBI, the Fighting Blindness charity and people working in this area. It noted that sight loss is expected to cost the State around €2.5 billion per year by 2020.

The coalition noted that improvements in eye care are being made, such as the upcoming rollout of the HSE's diabetic retinopathy screening programme. However it insisted that these steps are ‘long overdue'. For example, a similar screening programme has already been running in the UK for 10 years.

It has just launched a new report - The Framework to Adopt a Strategic Approach for Vision Health in Ireland. This points out that while the HSE's new National Programme for Eye Care has a lot of potential, the proper provision of eye care will not be possible in this country without a specific blueprint.

"While we thoroughly welcome the establishment of the HSE National Programme for Eye Care we believe that a national vision strategy needs to be developed to complement the programme. It is only when both of these initiatives are properly implemented that we will have a truly coordinated eye health infrastructure focused on prevention and early intervention," commented Des Kenny, CEO of the NCBI and joint chairperson of the coalition.

Meanwhile according to coalition member and consultant ophthalmic surgeon, Mr David Keegan, the implementation of a clear strategy is ‘urgently required considering the public healthcare system is insufficiently resourced to treat the existing patient demand'.

"Given that the financial situation that we currently face is likely to continue, it is imperative that all services and supports offered are provided with equity of access, patient safety and quality of care at the centre of all decisions,' he said.

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