Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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133. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 169 of 29 May 2024, the reason the eye exam is not paid by the local areas of CHO7, 8 (Meath only) and 9; if there are proposals to change this in order that they are paid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26389/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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All children, including those not covered by a medical card, receive a vision screen while in national school from a Public Health Nurse. The Health Service Executive (HSE) provides optical services free of charge to pre-school children and national school children referred from child health service and school health service examinations who are discovered to have sight problems. These children are referred to the appropriate consultant for treatment. In such circumstances, these services will continue to be provided until the child has reached the age of 16.

The HSE Primary Care Eye Services Review Group Report, published in June 2017, highlighted the limitations of the current model of service delivery and set out the way forward for a significant amount of eye services to be delivered in a primary care setting. The Report estimated that 60% of existing outpatient activity could be moved to primary care thus enabling hospital services to focus on patients who require more specialist diagnostics or treatments.

The National Clinical Programme for Ophthalmology developed a model of care, also published in 2017, detailing how the realignment of eye services from the acute hospitals to the community will be undertaken. Included in current priorities is transferring the care of children aged 8+ years to the care of local private optometrists. While a national scheme has not yet been implemented, some Community Healthcare Organisations have discharged some children aged 8+ into the care of local optometrists.

I have asked the HSE to prepare a detailed costed implementation plan regarding the transfer of care for children aged 8+ to local optometrists to be undertaken on a national basis. This would include the provision of paediatric eye exam. The implementation of such a national scheme remains a priority. Of course, any publicly funded ophthalmic service expansion should address unmet public healthcare needs and improve access to public health services while ensuring value for money.