Half of UK sight loss cases could be prevented
3 min read
Nusrat Ghani MP argues that we should emulate dementia and hearing loss treatment policy by creating an overarching national eye health strategy.
RNIB, who represent and champion people who suffer from blindness and visual impairment, estimate that there are almost two million people in the UK living with sight loss. This is predicted to double to around four million people by 2050, as our population ages and more people living with conditions that can lead to visual impairment, such as diabetes.
Approximately half of sight loss cases are said to be avoidable. Yes, you read that correctly. Glaucoma, for example, is the single biggest preventable cause of sight loss. 600,000 people in the UK have it, but half of those are undiagnosed. If detected and treated early, around 90% of people with glaucoma retain useful eyesight for life.
Aside from the personal impact, blindness and partial sight in the adult population cost the UK around £28 billion per year. There is therefore a huge incentive to take action which sees more people get their eyes tested and checked, and be diagnosed and treated earlier if they have a condition. One way we could do this is by establishing an overarching, NHS England-led, national eye health strategy.
There are equivalent strategies for hearing loss and dementia, and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also have eye health strategies in place. England is an anomaly. A new national strategy would not require additional funding, but would instead bring new focus to improving efficiency in eye care services and ensuring consistency across the country.
It would enable the development of improved clinical leadership, at CCG level, to prevent eye health slipping down local commissioning agendas. Closer partnership between CCGs and Local Eye Health Networks would further help commissioners to identify eye health priorities which respond to local population needs.
The Government already does great work to support the voluntary sector-led England Vision Strategy, and it rightly states that England’s size and the diversity of the health needs of different communities mean commissioning is best owned and managed locally.
However, local commissioning must be coupled with national leadership, and leaving it to local commissioners means that there is significant variation in quality and quantity of services. For example, someone in Luton will wait 15 days between their first attendance at a hospital outpatient clinic and their subsequent cataract surgery. If they were in Swindon, they would wait 180 days.
We should also be proud of the UK’s role as one of the largest supporters of aid to combat Neglected Tropical Diseases overseas, because 90% of blindness is in the developing world and 80% of cases can be cured or prevented.
Blindness and partial sight can lead to missed opportunities, stalled careers and challenged family relationships. As the number of people affected goes up, we must take all action necessary to make sure as many cases as possible are avoided.
Nusrat Ghani is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Wealden
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