I recently attended The Eyes Have It reception in Westminster to hear about the campaign's calls for a National Plan for Eye Care to tackle the issues around ophthlamogy capacity and reduce avoidable sight loss.
When I was there, I got to take part in a number of activities that not only underlined the current situation around capacity, but also what life can be like for those experiencing sight loss. It was also incredibly useful to hear from the broad range of charities and organisations who were there about possible solutions to such issues.
Whilst it was good to hear how the number of those across Carshalton and Wallington waiting 18 weeks or more for eye treatment is below the national average, whilst the ophthalmic practitioners per 100,000 residents is above the national average, it is clear that more work needs to be done to ensure all residents are able to access the eye care that they need when they need it, ultimately avoiding even more cases of avoidable sight loss.
I will continue to work with organisations - both here in Carshalton and Wallington and nationally - and colleagues in Government to do this, and will continue to press them to continually improve these numbers. As such, I was glad to pledge to campaign for a national plan for eye care across England and to ensure that the voices of those with sight loss get heard.