Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As Fine Gael spokesperson on health in the Seanad, I welcome the Minister to the House and wish him every success in his new role. He will be determined to continue the reform that has been ongoing over the last three years. That reform will bring about a more efficient health service while ensuring that the services that are required will be available to those who need them.

I thank Senator Conway for moving the motion. It is extremely important to discuss the issue. The reports which have issued have demonstrated clearly that if we put the right procedures and preventative mechanisms in place, we can be very successful and avoid dealing with problems when it is too late to intervene. The motion calls on the Minister to act on the recommendations of the National Vision Coalition on a national vision strategy and to implement cost effective measures to prevent a further 260 people per year becoming blind in Ireland. It is extremely important to act. Reports are produced in all Departments which tend to be parked when priority must be given to dealing with the next issue to come along. In this case, we have the evidence that shows we can reduce costs into the future if we take action now. It is interesting to look at the report produced by the coalition for vision health in Ireland setting out a core focus on prevention and early intervention. It is interesting to go through the proposals. The report clearly recommends out the introduction of targeted prevention campaigns for key at-risk groups. That is very important. Building the capacity of the primary and community care workforce to identify early symptoms and refer appropriately is also extremely important.

I have very restricted vision myself. I remember going to primary school and being identified within a month of arriving as having impaired vision and needed eye tests immediately. As a result, I have been wearing glasses ever since. It was the reaction of the primary school teacher who acted immediately. The report recommends the provision of timely and equitable access to a full myriad of early intervention approaches including sight tests and screening programmes. We must examine existing measures and consider where we can introduce improvements to ensure that they are available to those who require it. Ensuring that all future service delivery networks are equipped and resourced appropriately to deliver on prevention targets is about setting those targets and ensuring we achieve them. That is extremely important. We did it in relation to cancer care in respect of which we set clear targets on reform and the delivery of an improved service. We should do the same in this area.

The expansion of screening programmes with a particular emphasis on high-risk groups is recommended. When one is talking about the expansion of services, there is an immediate cost implication. We can look at the services being provided now and consider how we can make them more efficient to deliver a better service. There is a long-term gain in that. The other area we need to focus on is research. I was looking at the issue over the last two to three days and note that a research centre in an American university has identified that people on blood pressure medication have a higher risk of blindness by way of macular degeneration. Research likes that ensures that we can identify why this is arising and take the necessary precautions for those on blood pressure medication by establishing why it increases the rate of macular degeneration leading to blindness. Many people are unaware of the fact that research has shown that smoking can be a contributory factor in blindness also. It is certain groups that are at risk and it is about getting information out there to ensure that we identify the groups that need to be screened and put the appropriate mechanisms and procedures in place to help them avoid blindness.

People are not aware in relation to glaucoma that there are certain groups of people who require an eye test at least once every two years in that regard. A member of my own family was identified has having glaucoma and has, unfortunately, been left with just 38% vision in one eye. That person had glaucoma for quite a while without being identified. I am very conscious that I myself must go for a test at least once every 12 months to ensure it is not there. Many people are not aware of that. If glaucoma is not treated at an early stage, one cannot reverse the damage it has caused. A lot of people are unaware of that also.

There is a great deal we can do. It is about the people on the frontline ensuring they are up to date on what is available and that they identify the groups. We have been very successful with campaigns in various areas. This is one area, however, in which we have not done enough. It is interesting to look at the cost factors.

The document entitled a Framework to Adopt a Strategic Approach for Vision Health in Ireland Report 2012 shows that hospital costs are over €70 million a year and prescription drug costs another €15 million. We can start reducing that huge cost factor by ensuring we take action at a very early stage.

Another issue we are faced with is an ageing population. The elderly population will increase from 535,000 to over 900,000 within 17 to 20 years which will lead to greater demands on the system. Therefore, it is extremely important to put in place the necessary programmes that will reduce the risk of blindness now and such measures will reduce costs in the long term.