The number of people waiting to be seen by eye specialists in the public health service has exceeded 50,000, new figures have shown.

According to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), at the end of August, there were 43,700 people on outpatient waiting lists and 8,700 awaiting inpatient eye procedures - a total of 52,400.

The outpatient waiting list has been growing year-on-year. In August 2018, the figure was 41,600, while in 2017, it was 40,000. In 2016, it was 38,100.

Among the 43,700 currently waiting for an outpatient appointment, 18,700 have already been waiting for at least 12 months, while 13,000 have been waiting for at least 18 months.

Commenting on the figures, the Association of Optometrists (AOI) insisted that Ireland's public eye care services need to be reformed and optometrists could play a major role in this.

"We continue to have an unusual overreliance on hospital ophthalmology departments. This is a flawed approach and will continue to be until it is overhauled. It cannot and will not meet patient demand as these ever-worsening figures show.

"Ireland can replicate a model of care which has proven successful in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. This involves a shared triaged approach with more routine public care provided through optometrists in the community, and ophthalmologists in hospitals freed up to prioritise specialised care," commented AOI chief executive, Sean McCrave.

The association said that particular attention needs to be paid to cataract surgery, which makes up a major portion of the waiting list backlog.

"A member survey carried out by the AOI in 2019 found that waiting times for cataract surgery are five years in some parts of the country.

"The AOI continues to call for the national roll-out of the Sligo Post-Cataract Scheme (a shared approach between community and hospital services in Sligo). Sligo continues to have the shortest waiting time for cataract surgery at just over one year," commented AOI president, Patricia Dunphy.

The association is also calling for the development of an optometrist-led national eye care programme for children up to the age of 16 years, as this would address major waiting times, as well as inconsistencies, in children's eye services.

It has estimated that more care in the community could result in major savings for the State, while at the same time delivering more accessible and clinically effective services.

"That is because it is 50% less expensive to provide routine examinations, monitoring and care in the community than in a hospital, and for patients, swifter access means earlier detection leading to better outcomes," the AOI added.