Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, who comes wearing his new hat. We have every confidence that he will not only enjoy his new role but have great success in it. Well done. I thank him for coming to the House.

The most interesting word in this motion on sight loss is "avoidable". This is the real challenge we have in health. If it is avoidable, the question is what do we have to do to make sure it is avoided. Those of us who have good eyesight are inclined to forget the problems that exist for those who do not have good eyesight. When I was in the supermarket business, one of the efforts we went to was to make sure we catered for as many people as we could by putting up a sufficient number of signs with Braille on them to help people who would otherwise have difficulty. Many of us can do things like that in whatever business we are engaged in or whatever way of life we have.

I welcome the motion as it draws attention to a very important area and the ways in which we can make improvements to prevent avoidable blindness. It is very worrying to see statistics which indicate that, on average, one person with diabetes goes blind in Ireland every week. That figure stunned me when I saw it. It is interesting to note that the University of Ulster has just become the first higher education institution in both Ireland and Britain to launch a new specialist course that, it is believed, could help prevent thousands of people every year from losing their sight, namely, the postgraduate professional certificate in medical retina. The course aims to add to the knowledge and skills of already experienced optometrists working in community-based practice and local hospitals. Specifically, the course offers training in a variety of common medical retina conditions, such as those linked to diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration, two of the main causes of blindness in countries such as Ireland. I wonder if there are opportunities for links with universities in the South. What are we doing in this area and could we link up with that development in the North? Will the Minister comment on the situation as regards possible links and the upskilling of optometrists? Of course, early detection is one of the key issues when it comes to avoidable blindness.

We need a cultural change in Ireland when it comes to eye tests. I was speaking with a German who told me Germans usually take an eye test once a year. Half of all adults in this country have not had an eye test in two years. Do we need to set up mobile stations where people could be tested?

I am not sure how it would work but it seems they have this situated elsewhere. Could we on the other hand provide people with an incentive, such as a tax rebate on an eye test? These could be real, concrete incentives for people to get an eye test, which would save the State money in the long term. Some of those who are not having their eyes tested and whose eyes are deteriorating over time can get into a car and drive it at night. Can that be as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol? Should it be mandatory to obtain eye tests every few years? It is something sensible to consider.
In terms of improving accessibility in relation to blindness, I note a French law passed in 2006 providing for an interesting exception to copyright. It requires publishers to make their files available to designated organisations which are then allowed to transcribe books into sound or braille and to distribute them in book or digital form. It aims to allow people with visual disability to access the same materials as others. There may be a more global agreement implemented through the World Intellectual Property Organisation in future. Ireland signed the relevant agreement only last month. Perhaps the Minister will provide an update on the area. We are expecting him to know everything about everything at the moment notwithstanding that he has only been in the job a few hours. It may be that there are libraries and educational institutions that could do more to convert books to digital files so that they are available to people with blindness. In France, a service at vocalepresse.comprovides audio access to more than 50 French newspapers on the day of publication. I note we do work on this and that the NCBI provides newspapers, magazines and journals on audio tape and in braille on a regular basis to over 1,500 Irish subscribers. However, might it be that Irish newspapers could provide a more regular, up-to-date service or that the Government could establish a form of assistance so that people with blindness could access a paper on the morning it is published. I would be interested to hear if we can move in that direction.
Having the debate today is just one step in the direction of what we can achieve. It gets us all focused on what we can do. Let us ensure we do not just talk about it and do something. The Minister is very welcome and I have every confidence that he will learn from today's session.