Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply. The national vision strategy is a roadmap to improved eye care in Ireland and points to an integrated care system that is effective, research evidence based and, most important, has visually impaired people at the centre of the decision making. Professor Keegan, in his presentation to the committee last Thursday, made the very strong point that the national cancer strategy, introduced in 2006, has led to improved patient survival rates and improved patient care, as well as internationally acclaimed, ground-breaking research. Professor Keegan firmly believes that a similar national strategy could improve the lives of the visually impaired. As I said earlier, preventable blindness is not just a Third World issue, it is also an Irish issue.

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