Visual Impairment: Ophthalmic Services
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the risk of irreversible sight loss among vulnerable patient groups, including those with wet age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock
National Health Service funded sight tests play an important role in identifying a range of sight threatening conditions, including glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance and quality standards support commissioners and providers to deliver timely diagnosis and effective management to prevent avoidable sight loss, including for glaucoma and AMD. NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme has also produced materials to help spread clinical best practice in ophthalmology. This includes best practice guidance for glaucoma services, and a best practice pathway for AMD.
The Public Health Outcomes Framework Eye Health Indicator also continues to track the rate of sight loss for age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. This information is available to commissioners and can be used to drive improved local outcomes and interventions.
At the end of March 2026, the ophthalmology waiting list stood at 607,560 pathways. Since the Government came into office, this is a decrease of 2,716 pathways, while the proportion of pathways waiting 18 weeks or less has increased by 6.8% to 72.9%. Improving waiting times and access to treatment, including for patients with glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, will be vital to prevent avoidable sight loss.
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