Practitioner payments revealed

Details of payments to opticians in Ireland under the country's medical-card scheme reveal that over 400 practitioners were paid a total of €18m last year, while some 23 each received more than €100,000.

The biggest individual earner was Homecall Opticare domiciliary service which received €352,846 according to the Irish Independent (September 10). The second highest sum, €269,432, was paid to Specsavers in Henry Street in Dublin.

The Association of Optometists Ireland is also attempting to prevent the Irish government abolishing another source of state payments for eye care, the Treatment Benefit Fund.

The Association described a report which recommended the fund be abolished as a 'misguided short-term action' which would mean many older people who receive regular eye exams would no longer do so. It added that when medical cards were withdrawn from many people aged over 70 in 2008, they were still able to obtain optical care under the fund.