HC Deb 21 July 1993 vol 229 cc247-8W
Mrs. Fyfe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many references from general practitioners and optometrists to hospital ophthalmology out-patient clinics have been made since 1985.

Mr. Stewart

Information is available only for new out-patient referrals from general practitioners to ophthalmology out-patient clinics for the years ended March 1992 and 1993. The information for these two years is as follows:

Number
March 1992 67,143
March 1993 65,831

Mrs. Fyfe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidelines are issued to health boards for record keeping and collating statistics in hospital ophthalmic departments; and what data health boards are required to collate from hospital ophthalmology departments.

Mr. Stewart

Information about hospital activities in Scotland, including information about the ophthalmology specialty, is published annually in sections 4 and 6 of the Scottish Health Statistics. A copy of the 1992 volume is in the Library. No special guidelines about record keeping are issued to health boards in respect of ophthalmology departments, which are expected to maintain the same standard as any other hospital department.

Mrs. Fyfe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has regarding the incidence in Scotland of eye disease leading to blindness or NHS hospital treatment.

Mr. Stewart

Information is not held centrally on the incidence in the general population of eye disease which leads to blindness. The following table shows the main disorders responsible for admission to ophthalmology units in Scotland in 1992.

All discharges of in-patients and day cases from the specialty ophthalmology for the year 1992 by diagnosis group
Diagnosis Discharges
Eye cancer 243
Diabetic eye disease 268
Retinal disorders 992
Glaucoma 2,125
Cataract 13,084
Corneal disorders 648
Disorders of conjunctiva 273
Disorders of eyelid 3,070
Strabismus 2,461
Other disorders of eye and lacrimal system 1,702
Injury to eye 788
Other disorders associated with eye disease 2,925
Total eye disorders 27,579

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