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Glaucoma: Health Services

Asked by Iqbal MohamedIndependentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 24 March 2026UIN 122019

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of (a) the number of people waiting for glaucoma follow-up appointments and (b) the length of time they are waiting for such appointments.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock

The Department does not hold data on either the number of people waiting for a glaucoma follow-up appointment or the length of waiting time for any such glaucoma follow-up appointment. Therefore, no current estimate has been made.

Data is published on ophthalmology waiting times from referral to treatment, but this is not broken down by condition and does not cover follow up appointments that occur after a patient’s first definitive treatment.

As of January 2026, the waiting list for ophthalmology stands at 602,163, with 69.8% of those having waited less than 18 weeks from referral to treatment.

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