Eye-health postcode lottery warning as eye checks rise

More people in West Yorkshire visited hospital for problems with their vision in 2023-24, recent figures show.

- by Harriet Sutton

A charity that funds research to combat sight loss warned of "a growing postcode lottery" in access to NHS eye care.

Figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities show around 144,520 people in the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board area attended a hospital outpatient vision appointment in 2023-24.

It was up four per cent from 139,245 people the previous year, and the highest figure since records began in 2013-14.

All figures have been rounded to the nearest five. It means 5,973 people per 100,000 population attended an appointment in the area, below the 6,127 per 100,000 average rate across England.

The number of people attending appointments across England has increased over the last decade, despite a drop during and following the Covid-19 pandemic, which the OHID says is due to the ageing population.