NHS test figures reveal slight drop

In figures produced by the Department of Health's General Ophthalmic Services statistics team, there were 3.75m sight tests paid for by health authorities (HAs) between April and September last year. It was halfway through this period that the Health Secretary, Frank Dobson, announced the over-60s would be entitled to free NHS eye examinations from April 1 1999, and it is believed that some pensioners who are currently in eligible groups may have delayed making their appointments after hearing the news. The total was 19,000 fewer than the previous six months (3.769m from October 1997-March 1998), but an increase on the corresponding six months in 1997 (3.7m). Eye examinations involving children (35 per cent) and adults on income support (25 per cent) remained the bulk of NHS work from April to September 1998. Other major eligibility groups are diabetes/glaucoma sufferers (9.5 per cent), close relatives of glaucoma sufferers (9 per cent), students (7 per cent) and low income cases (5 per cent). Vouchers for 2.069m spectacles were reimbursed by HAs during April to September last year, 1.1 per cent less than October 1997 to March 1998 (2.092m), and 3.5 per cent less than the 10-year peak in the period April to September 1997 (2.143m). Voucher type A (72 per cent) and E (14 per cent) represented the lion's share of the latest figures. Health authorities paid for 123,170 domiciliary visits by optometrists and ophthalmic medical practitioners from April to September last year.