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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Losing sight of blindness | | Author(s) | Sue Griney, Steve Winyard |
| Corporate Author | Royal National Institute for the Blind - RNIB |
| Publisher | RNIB, London, 1997 |
| Pages | 22 pp (Campaign report 2) |
| Source | RNIB, 224 Great Portland Street, London W1N 6AA. |
| Keywords | Ophthalmic services ; Charges ; Visual impairment ; Blindness. |
| Annotation | Although age is the major risk factor for developing eye disease, older people are not eligible for free National Health Service (NHS) eye tests on the grounds of age alone. This report examines the impact of the withdrawal of free eye tests in 1988/89 on older people. The first chapter outlines some basic facts about eye disease and the reasons why early detection is essential. In the second chapter, findings from a national survey of people aged 60 years and over are presented, which was conducted to examine the factors which influence older people to have an eye test. The third chapter sets out the findings from a study on the patterns of optometric attendance and referrals to the hospital eye service in Oxfordshire since 1988. The report concludes with recommendations, including the following: free eye tests for people aged 60 years and over and further extensions of the exemption categories; a public education campaign promoting "eye health checks"; and audited national standards and outcomes of eye tests. (AKM). |
| Accession Number | CPA-980910210 B |
| Classmark | L7: QEJ: BR: BS |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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