The health care costs of VI and blindness were estimated to be nearly €116.8 million in 2010, and are projected to rise to nearly €136.8 million by 2020. These estimates should be considered conservative, since some health care cost components may have been excluded due to limited health care activity and expenditure data for the ROI.
A summary of the direct health care costs of VI and blindness in the ROI is presented in Table 3.10 by included component.
Table 3.10: Summary of direct health care costs of VI and blindness
| Component | 2010 | 2015 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| HOSPITAL | |||
| Public hospital costs | €157,522,081 | €62,776,592 | €67,397,767 |
| Private hospital costs | €12,536,864 | €13,682,078 | €14,689,257 |
| Total hospital costs (a) | €70,058,945 | €76,458,670 | €82,087,024 |
| PRESCRIPTIONS | |||
| Glaucoma drug costs | €10,785,233 | €11,770,440 | €12,636,897 |
| AMD drug costs | €5,794,054 | €6,323,328 | €6,788,807 |
| Total drug costs (b) | €16,579,287 | €18,093,767 | €19,425,704 |
| GENERAL OPHTHALMIC SERVICES | |||
| Eye examinations for people with VI | €4,244,941 | €4,632,706 | €4,973,734 |
| Appliances | €11,513,214 | €12,564,920 | €13,489,862 |
| Total ophthalmic services costs © | €15,758,155 | €17,197,627 | €18,463,596 |
| OTHER COSTS: ‘Assessment and care of the visually impaired’ | |||
| Total non-capital expenditure | €13,874,561 | €15,141,971 | €16,256,617 |
| Total capital expenditure | €483,220 | €527,361 | €566,181 |
| Total expenditure (d) | €14,357,781 | €15,699,332 | €16,822,798 |
| TOTAL HEALTH CARE COSTS (a)+(b)+(c)+(d) | €116,754,169 | €127,419,396 | €136,799,122 |
Source: Deloitte Access Economics calculations.