48,848 visually impaired people on waiting lists for first appointment with eye specialist last year

There were 48,848 visually impaired people on waiting lists for their first appointment with an eye specialist last year, and more than a quarter of those had been waiting at least 18 months.

The figures, referred to by the National Council for the Blind Ireland at the launch of its latest annual report, also showed that 7,434 of those on the waiting list were children.

The NCBI described the number of people awaiting a service as "unsurprising" and its CEO, Chris White, said: “2018 was the most active year in all areas of the organisation in the long history of the charity.

“The demand for our services is growing as it is a vital support for many who are enduring lengthy waiting times to be seen.

"Like so many aspects of the public health system, these waiting are unacceptable as conditions can deteriorate and 80% of blindness is preventable or is curable with timely treatment.”

Last year the NCBI worked with 6,392 individuals - mostly older adults - spanning across the lifecycle model, up 4% compared with the figure for the previous year.

However, there was a sharp increase in the number of children using NCBI services.

"There were 136 referrals of children to NCBI in 2018 which brought the number of children known to NCBI to 1,325," the report said.

The number of individual children worked with in 2018 was 848 which was an increase of over 30% on the previous year. This age group also shows the highest level of service intensity – with 74% at the highest level of service concentration within NCBI services.

In his foreword to the 2018 annual report Mr White wrote: "NCBI continues to struggle with inadequate and insufficient State funding. While the HSE gives NCBI 62% of its funding to run our services, there is continued pressure to raise the other 38% needed to ensure effective service delivery across the country.

"In 2018, we were grateful to receive over €500,000 in legacy donations which goes a long way towards bridging the gap required.

"Throughout 2018 we focused our efforts to actively seek more referrals at the point of diagnosis which has been successful and this will continue in 2019 with the establishment of our new Eye Clinic Liaison Service located in the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital, Temple Street Hospital and Mater Hospital."

Also last year the NCBI Library and Media Centre supported over 4,100 members with more than 22,600 titles issued and welcomed 392 new members, with new referrals up 64% from 2017.

There was also an increase in the number of NCBI charity shops to 109 and according to the report:

"The combination of the expansion in the number of NCBI stores plus the quality stock on offer in all our stores led to improved revenue being generated in 2018 resulting in a 14% rise in profits.

"This increase in turn enables NCBI frontline services to meet more demand. The income generated in our shops play a crucial role in the sustainability and growth of our frontline services."

According to the report, principal risk factors that could affect the company’s future operating results or financial position include fluctuating income from NCBI Retail, further unanticipated funding cuts or the withdrawal of support from the HSE and an overdependence on unpredictable legacy income.

Prof David Keegan, Consultant Ophthalmologist, Mater Hospital said “working with the NCBI in delivering the Eye Clinic Liaison Service has proven very beneficial to the patient.

Reassuringly for them, it offers timely practical advice and emotional support to help them understand their diagnosis and discuss next steps”.