Timely treatment can help save people’s sight

IMAGINE feeling anxious every day when your post arrives.

This isn’t because you’re worrying about a gas bill or being inundated with flyers trying to sell you new windows.

No, you’re actually concerned that today the post will include a cancellation letter for your latest eye clinic appointment, the one that has already been cancelled three times.

So you wait every day to check the post and wonder whether it will include a letter cancelling your next appointment, and fear whether this will mean you could go blind.

Unfortunately this is an experience that will be all too familiar to many people across Wales today.

For some it’s now normal to get multiple letters cancelling and delaying their eye clinic appointments.

Many have conditions like diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and macular degeneration, which with the right care can be treatable or manageable.

But without timely treatment you could find yourself losing some, or all, of your sight, a life-changing outcome that in some cases could be avoided.

For the first time I’m not just relying on patients telling me about their experiences of eye care services.

The Welsh Government is now publishing figures every month that show the number of people at highest risk of losing their sight waiting too long for their eye care appointments.

The latest statistics released in July show that over 35,000 of these patients aren’t being seen in time. All are waiting for potential sight-saving treatment.

But we’re now at a turning point for eye care services in Wales. Welsh Government has introduced new eye care measures which will mean that all patients waiting for eye care services in Wales will be prioritised based on their risk of losing their sight.

This is a welcome change and we’re proud that Wales has become the first nation in the UK to adopt this sort of measure. It should make sure that patients are getting the sight-saving treatment they need in time.

The success of this measure is dependent on health boards’ commitment to transforming their eye care services. This is why RNIB Cymru is urging every health board in Wales to make sure change happens more quickly. Only then will healthcare professionals be fully supported to deliver the lifechanging treatment their patients need.

We can’t go on letting people with treatable conditions languish on waiting lists while they risk losing their sight.

While we know that there’s good work happening in areas of Wales to address this, the extent of the problem makes it clear that this simply is no longer enough, we need to be more ambitious.

We need to see detailed plans being put in place by each Health Board to redesign services so that people receive the right support from the right professional at the right time.

Getting this right now will mean our eye care services will be far more prepared in the coming years.

There are already an estimated 111,000 people living with sight loss in Wales, which is predicted to double in the next 30 years. If we can’t make these changes now it is likely that our eye care services will be completely overwhelmed in the coming years.

For some the change has already come too late. It is too late for the grandmother we spoke to who will never see her new grandchild’s face.

Now she’ll never know whether more timely treatment would have saved her sight.

We can’t let this carry on happening. This is why we will continue championing patients’ voices and working collaboratively to create real change for the patients we speak to every day.

If you want more information on your eye care services, contact your local Health Board. You can contact RNIB’s Helpline on 0303 123 9999 for advice and support.