NCBI urges Government to make Prudent investments in education, prevention and treatment now!

NCBI has observed a change in the demographic of those requiring our services in recent years and in the level of sight loss being experienced by our ageing population. Now around 95% of those using our services have some level of vision and the majority of service users are over the age of 70.

We are acutely aware of the need to plan ahead for a future which will see people living longer and dealing with sight loss due to age-related macular degeneration, diabetes, glaucoma and cataract. Early last year we commission a study into how much sight loss costs and will cost the State now, in five years and in 10 years. You can read more about this report, entitled “The economic impact of vision impairment and blindness in the Republic of Ireland”, on page 12.

There are over 15,500 people using NCBI’s services but we have always known that this does not reflect the true number of people living with sight loss in Ireland. This study examined the numbers of people living with mild and moderate sight loss, as well those who are blind and shows that the figures are indeed far greater than this and are set to rise by 21% in the next 10 years

The Government must start looking at the needs of those with mild vision impairment now in order to minimise the impact sight loss has on their lives and to reduce the need for intervention at a later, and possibly more costly, stage. Mild vision impairment begins when a person’s level of vision no longer enables them to drive.

Staggering figures revealed by the study

This report is the first study to look at the economic impact of vision impairment in Ireland. It shows that investment in areas like education among over-70s, screening programmes for people with diabetes and an increase in capacity to treat cataract will help to avoid the cost of sight loss reaching the staggering figures revealed by the study.

According to The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) study, which published its first results in May, people over the age of 50 have greater longevity, better health and higher expectations for old age. The study found that most of the people aged 50 and over (58%) are in the 50-64 age group. Among those aged 50 to 64, 62% of men and 46% of women are at work. The study also found that one in 12 Irish adults report a doctor’s diagnosis of diabetes and that the prevalence of diabetes increases with age from 6% in adults aged 50-64 years to 11.1% in adults aged 75 years and older. In keeping with what NCBI has experienced and what our own study findings show, TILDA found that Irish adults aged 75 years and older are twice as likely to rate their eyesight as poor when compared to those aged between 50 and 74.

Costly sight loss epidemic

The cost of sight loss study will be an important lobbying tool for NCBI, as we continue to convince our Government to make prudent investments in education, prevention and treatment now, in order to prevent a costly sight loss epidemic in 10 years time. It is vital that we as an organisation are prepared for the demands the ageing population and increased need for services will put on our resources and the way we deliver these important services and this study will also help us to direct our services appropriately as we plan for the future.