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Press Release

Action must be taken now to stop more people needlessly going blind due to undetected eye conditions

18 January 2011

There are currently 2 million people in the UK who are at risk of losing their sight unnecessarily, as a result of avoidable and treatable eye conditions, and this number is set to rise due to an ageing population and an increasing number of people with diabetes. A hundred people start to lose their sight every day – half of which is preventable.

Speaking at the Eye Health Alliance parliamentary reception on Monday 17 January, John Baron MP, Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment said:

"We need to act now to stop more people needlessly going blind due to undetected eye conditions. Eye health is often overlooked and we must work together to change this. This important public health message must be taken seriously by national and local government, commissioners, and health and social care professionals."

Professor Nick Bosanquet, of Imperial College, added:

"By 2050 the number of people living with sight loss is set to increase by 115% to almost 4 million people, unless urgent action is taken now. The NHS urgently needs to free up capacity in hospital eye care services. Re-engineering eye care services as I have proposed in my recent report on eye care services, is the only way of meeting this challenge. This opportunity has been missed twice in the last decade. It is vital not to miss it again which is why I wanted to undertake this review. Eye health and eye care should be flagships for NHS reform."

Heather Marshall, Head of Public Affairs at the Eye Health Alliance, said:

"Sight is the sense that people fear losing the most and yet eye health is still an unknown issue for many people. We need to raise public awareness of eye health and highlight the importance of regular sight tests so that eye conditions can be detected and treated early."



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