Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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227. To ask the Minister for Health if he will support national vision strategy for eye health in 2013. [32453/13]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The issues involved in eye health span a number of areas in the health sector with regard to access to treatment, patient safety and quality of care. There are a number of eye conditions which require specialist health services including cataract, refractive error, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and age related macular degeneration. There are detection and treatment services available at present in community and acute hospital settings for these conditions. In addition, there are a number of high level strategies which are relevant to the area of eye health, including Clinical Programmes; Public Health; Health Protection; Positive Ageing and Carers Strategies and Screening initiatives. A number of these strategies link with the HSE's Clinical Ophthalmology Programme. The health sector will continue to provide and deliver vision services and supports through these programmes and specifically through health prevention, screening and intervention policies and programmes. In this context, it is not proposed to develop a separate national vision strategy.