Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 20 Sep 1995

Vol. 455 No. 8

Written Answers. - Optician/Optometrist Scheme.

Séamus Hughes

Question:

85 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for Health the time delay in carrying out eye examinations on patients in each health board area; and the average time in each area for the provision of the necessary spectacles under his Department's choice of optician/optometrist. [12913/95]

Séamus Hughes

Question:

86 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for Health if each of the health board areas are operating the optician/optometrist scheme; and the amount of money provided since 1979 by his Department and the health boards on an annual basis to operate the scheme. [12914/95]

Séamus Hughes

Question:

87 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for Health the action, if any, he proposes to take to improve the optician/optometrist scheme for medical card holders where there are delays, particularly those affecting elderly persons; and the reason the scheme is not operating as well as the Department of Social Welfare's optical benefit scheme where the waiting list is practically zero. [12915/95]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): I propose to take Questions Nos. 85, 86 and 87 together. Community ophthalmic services are provided free of charge by health boards to eligible persons. The persons eligible are:—

(1) pre-school and national school children, in respect of defects discovered at child health or school health examinations,

(2) persons in eligibility Category I (medical card holders and their dependants).

All eight health boards are providing ophthalmic services through hospitals and ophthalmologists directly employed by the boards.

In addition the Eastern, Midland and Western Health Boards are providing services through sight testing by opthalmologists, ophthalmic medical practitioners and ophthalmic opticians in private practice who have entered into agreement with the boards to examine eligible patients in their private practice premises.

The difference between the provision of optical services to medical card holders under the Health Acts and the Department of Social Welfare's optical treatment benefit is that the optical treatment benefit scheme is an entitlement based on PRSI contributions with direct access to services and has no restrictions with regard to overall cost. The provision of optical services to medical card holders is, however, constricted by the need to contain health expenditure and the competing service demands.

The information requested by the Deputy with regard to funding is not readily available to my Department.

Information received from the health boards recently indicated the following waiting times in respect of eyetesting and spectacles, including those who are being recalled for follow up on foot of an initial examination.

Waiting List for Eyetests.

Health Boards	Adults Average Waiting time
Eastern	3 months
Midland	up to 24 months
Mid-Western	up to 12 months
North-Eastern	up to 15 months
North-Western	up to 36 months
Southern	up to 38 months
South-Eastern	up to 12 months
Western	up to 36 months

All the boards operate a system which affords priority to applicants with special needs such as persons with medical conditions and national school children and every effort is made to ensure that urgent cases are processed without delay.

I am concerned with the delay in the provision of sight testing and spectacles. Accordingly, I am making available an additional £500,000 this year to health boards for the provision of services to adults on their waiting lists. My Department is currently in discussion with the boards regarding their requirements. I also made an additional £250,000 available to the Eastern Health Board earlier this year which reduced the length of time medical card holders were waiting for eye testing and spectacles.