DOWN'S SYNDROME CHILDREN: SPECTACLE VOUCHERS

HL Deb 10 February 1994 vol 551 cc62-3WA

Lord Allen of Abbeydale

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether vouchers for specially made spectacle frames could be made available to all children with Down's Syndrome instead of being limited to those covered by the Hospital Eye Service.

Baroness Cumberlege

Under the National Health Service Spectacle Voucher Scheme all children under the age of 16 who require spectacles receive a voucher to buy them. Voucher values depend on the complexity of the patient's optical prescription. An optometrist who considers that his patient would benefit by referral to the Hospital Eye Service is, of course, able to make such a referral.