§ Mr. WatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people are registered as suffering from age-related macular degeneration; [152167]
(2) what plans he has for promoting the treatment of, and research into, age-related macular degeneration. [152166]
§ Mr. DenhamThe Department does not routinely collect statistics on individual conditions. However, hospital episode statistics show that there were 2,466 finished consultant episodes for macular degeneration and posterior pole at National Health Service hospitals in England in 1999–2000.
We fund research into vision related conditions through the Medical Research Council. This includes a clinical trial at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast: Radiotherapy in the treatment of subfoveal neovascular membranes in age-related macular degeneration of the eye for which they provided a grant of £61,571. They have also provided a £ l .5 million grant to look at Genetic Susceptibility to Age Related Macular Degeneration, which is due to commence shortly.