Some Irish patients face the risk of irreversible damage to their vision due to ophthalmology waiting lists that are ‘out of control', it has been claimed.

According to the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI), the specialty of ophthalmology currently has the longest waiting list for outpatient appointments and surgery. This means that some people are dealing with vision loss that may have been prevented if they had timely access to treatment.

Figures show that last month, almost 34,000 people were waiting for outpatient ophthalmology appointments. Some 3,898 of these had already been waiting for at least 18 months.

Meanwhile, the waiting list for inpatient and day case surgery is also the highest in the country, with 13,115 people waiting for surgery in February of this year.

"It is clear that ophthalmology waiting lists are out of control and this is even more shocking when you consider that as much as 75% of sight loss is avoidable. The Government has committed to eliminating avoidable sight loss, but has yet to publish the necessary strategy to make it happen. The NCBI is calling on the Minister for Health to urgently push for the publication and implementation of the Primary Eye Care Services Report, which was expected in summer 2015," said NCBI chief executive, Chris White.

This report is a national blueprint for ophthalmology services, which focuses on increasing community-based resources in order to take the pressure off acute ophthalmic units.

According to consultant ophthalmic surgeon at the Mater Hospital, Mr David Keegan, this issue is ‘a hidden scandal', however he insisted that there is a solution if the Government acts now.

"Vital, sight-saving treatments are available for patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other retinal conditions, such as diabetes-related eye disease. These are critical cases and, in particular with AMD, delaying treatment leads to irreversible vision loss.

"The solution is immediate publication of the Primary Eye Care Services Report, which is a trigger for the development of the necessary strategy and eye care plans for diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and cataract. In order to be effective these plans then need proper resourcing and allocation of funding in hospitals that treat eye patients," he explained.

AMD is currently the leading cause of sight loss in people over the age of 50 in Ireland, with 7,000 new cases diagnosed every year. Treatment for one type of AMD, known as wet AMD, is a series of injections into the eye, however, these must be administered within four to six weeks of diagnosis to halt progression of the disease.

For more information on the NCBI, click here