§ Tim Loughton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the efficacy of providing tinted spectacle lenses to assist children with reading difficulties; and what plans he has to make them more widely available. [130284]
§ Dr. Ladyman[holding answer 16 September 2003]: There are indications that some children in their teens may benefit from precision-tinted lenses.
However, unless precision-tinted lenses are provided as part of a proper scheme of assessment and treatment, many children may receive them unnecessarily. There is a risk that more appropriate responses to their needs will be delayed while time is taken up investigating tinted lenses. Without proper evaluation of the therapy for each individual, which is less likely if provided outside the education network, there is no proper indication of its effectiveness.
§ Tim Loughton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children with a refractive error in their vision receive financial support for the cost of coloured glass spectacles. [130285]
§ Dr. Ladyman[holding answer 16 September 2003]: For 2002–03 in England, 8,850 pairs of spectacles with tints for 0 to 15-year-olds were reimbursed by primary care trusts.