New Department of Health figures out this week show a fall in the number of eye examinations paid for by health authorities in 2002.
The findings, for the period April to September last year reveal that 5.17 million sight tests were paid for by HAs in England and Wales Ð 2 per cent down on the same period in 2001 (5.27m) and a small decline in the preceding period of October 2001 to March 2002 (5.2m).
Vouchers for 1.89m pairs of spectacles were reimbursed by HAs in England and Wales from April to September 2002, a 1.7 per cent fall for the period October 2001 to March 2002 (1.92m) and 3.6 per cent less than the period April to September 2001 (1.96m).