Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help delay the progression of glaucoma in people aged over 50.

Free National Health Service sight tests are available for many, including all individuals aged 40 years old and over with a close family history of glaucoma, and all individuals aged 60 years old and over. Regular sight tests play an important role in the early detection of glaucoma, which is often symptomless in the early stages. Patients with suspected glaucoma will be referred for further investigation, treatment, and monitoring, which can delay its progression.

NHS England has been testing how integrating primary and secondary eye care services, through IT connectivity and the development of a single point of access, could improve the referral, triage, and management of patients with eye care needs and reduce the time from diagnosis to treatment.