Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 July 2021
332. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he plans to extend the community ophthalmic services scheme for those over 12 years of age, beyond medical card holders and their dependants to include students in secondary school for the dispensing of spectacles and optical devices given that glasses are a necessity and are not for cosmetic reasons. [30958/21]
View answerSight testing, eye examinations and optical appliances are provided to medical card holders by ophthalmologists, optometrists and dispensing opticians through the Community Ophthalmic Services Schemes (COSS). Patients may access these services following a referral by a healthcare professional such as their general practitioner. The reimbursement of the cost of eye tests and glasses for all children is administered by the HSE Primary Care Reimbursement Service.
There are currently no plans to extend eyecare services to children over 12 years of age who are not covered by a medical card.
All children, including those not covered by a medical card, receive a vision screen while in national school from a Public Health Nurse. The HSE provides optical services free of charge to pre-school children and national school children referred from child health service and school health service examinations who are discovered to have sight problems. These children are referred to the appropriate consultant for treatment. In such circumstances, these services will continue to be provided until the child has reached the age of 16.
The HSE Primary Care Eye Services Review Group (PCESRG) Report was launched in June 2017. The Report sets out current levels of service, models of service provision and the consultation process undertaken with patients, advocates, ophthalmic staff and representative bodies. It also highlights the limitations of the current model of service delivery and sets out the way forward for a significant amount of eye services to be delivered in a primary care setting. The Report estimates that 60% of existing outpatient activity could be moved to primary care thus enabling hospital services to focus on patients who require more specialist diagnostics or treatments.
The National Clinical Programme for Ophthalmology has developed a model of care which details how the realignment of eye services from the acute hospitals to the community will be undertaken. The recommendations from the PCESRG Report also complement the Model of Care.
The Primary Care Eye Services Review Group Report remains current and the HSE is implementing a number of measures. Included in current priorities is transferring the care of children aged 8+ years to the care of local private optometrists, creating a new role of Consultant Medical Ophthalmologist, and recruiting additional Consultant Medical Ophthalmologists to other CHOs.
