§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if, in addition to the arrangements he is making for blood relatives of those who have glaucoma to be identified and advised to have an eye test, he will provide for these tests to be free.
§ Mrs. CurrieYes, the proposals on these arrangements which have been issued for consultation envisage that identified close relatives of those with glaucoma would be given a free eyesight test.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he anticipates any increase or decrease in the numbers of people suffering from glaucoma in the next five years; and which age groups will be most affected.
§ Mrs. CurrieThe prevalence of glaucoma increases with age. Due to an increasingly aging population it is likely that the numbers of people suffering from glaucoma will increase in the next five years. The age group most affected will be those over 60.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the number of people who go blind from glaucoma as a result of failure to have the disease detected at an early stage.
§ Mrs. CurrieThe figures giving the number of registrations due to blindness caused by glaucoma are collated only every 10 years.
In the year ending 31 March 1981, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 1,149 new blind registrations as a result of glaucoma. We do not have information on how many of these resulted from failure to detect the disease at an early stage. However, people with a close relative who has glaucoma who are themselves over the age of 40 should ensure that they have a regular eye check.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of new cases of glaucoma are detected by optometrists or ophthalmic medical practitioners.
§ Mrs. CurrieWe do not hold this information centrally.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many new cases of glaucoma are detected each year on average;
(2) how many people suffer from glaucoma; and how many of them are being medically treated.
§ Mrs. CurrieI regret that we do not hold information centrally on the number of people suffering from glaucoma, or on the numbers detected each year on average.
The estimated total number of in-patient admissions treated in National Health Service hospitals in England for glaucoma in 1985, the latest year for which data are held centrally, was 13,510.