Over 100 patients waiting over a year on eye treatment waiting list - Kilkenny Live

HSE data obtained by FODO Ireland (community optometrists) show that in April, a total of 130 patients in Kilkenny and Carlow were waiting for over a year for eye treatments.

In total there were 596 patients in Kilkenny and Carlow, on the eye treatment waiting list. 

Research shows 60% of existing outpatient activity - including AMD care - could be moved to primary care, thus enabling hospital services to focus on patients who require more specialist diagnostics or treatments. There is a State plan to move care into the community but so far there has been little progress.

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“I fully accept that we need to do more to address unacceptably high waiting lists – including in our eye services,” the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly recently told a conference in Dublin.

“Community optometrists are delivering core eye care services to the eligible population in this country, through the State’s Community Optometry Services Scheme. I believe they have the potential to play an even greater role. My officials are working with the HSE, with a view to contracting more services, from acute and community settings, out to community optometrists.”

The latest figures, supplied to FODO Ireland, strongly support a case that the Government should roll out the Sligo cataract (pilot) scheme nationwide. This initiative reduced waiting lists in the NorthWest by collaboration between community optometrists and ophthalmologists to manage cataracts. In addition, ‘lazy eye’ (amblyopia) is major issue that must be tackled early in life. 

Optometrists have the capacity and expertise to contribute significantly to delivering a new programme for school children. Pressure on surgeons can thus be reduced. Optometrists can and must be involved in providing eye care for school children. There is a ‘postcode lottery’ created due to disparate local eye-care schemes. In addition, there is now not an effective national screening system for national school children.

The National Clinical Programme for Ophthalmology has developed a model of care which details how the re-alignment of eye services from the acute hospitals to the community will be undertaken. The recommendations from the Primary Care Eye Services Review Group Report also complement the Model of Care.