Crisis in the eye care clinic

Delays in treatment and follow-up care at overstretched hospital eye clinics across England are resulting in people losing their sight, according to the latest research from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

A new report, Saving money, losing sight, revealed that a worrying 37 per cent of hospital eye clinic staff said patients were ‘sometimes’ losing their sight unnecessarily, due to delayed treatment and follow-up care caused by capacity problems, with a further 4 per cent stating they believed this sight loss was happening ‘often’.

The survey of 172 eye health professionals including 91 ophthalmologists and 59 ophthalmic nurses, showed over 80 per cent said their eye department had insufficient capacity. Ninety-four per cent stated that future capacity would not meet rising demand, driven by an ageing population and demand for services across a range of conditions.