ePolitix.com speaks to Heather Marshall, Head of Public Affairs at the Eye Health Alliance, about the work and the upcoming agenda of the Alliance.

Question: Can you tell us a little bit about the Eye Health Alliance?

Heather Marshall: The Eye Health Alliance is a coalition of professional bodies and eye care charities which have come together to promote eye health for all and to reduce the number of people with avoidable sight loss.

Question: Member organisations work with the APPG on Eye Health and Visual Impairment, how useful is this partnership?

Heather Marshall: Many of the member organisations work closely with Sandra Gidley MP, the chair of the APPG, to arrange a series of meetings on topical issues facing patients. This is an important partnership to ensure parliamentarians are fully briefed on the current issues facing patients.

Question: What specific issues are the next few meetings going to cover?

Heather Marshall: This year, we've got meetings on the new UK Vision Strategy, which is being launched in April. This is the first time the whole sector has come together to set a framework to improve the eye health of the nation, and to ensure there is support and inclusion for those who have already lost their sight.

We've also got meetings on children's vision screening services, and a meeting on glaucoma services. Our microsite on epolitix has details of all the meetings in 2008.

Question: A recent report has shown that a high proportion of older people suffer from social exclusion, often brought on by ill-health. What can be done to ensure older people do not suffer unnecessarily from poor eye health?

Heather Marshall: Losing your sight is actually not always part of getting old. Many people live with sight loss when they don't really need to. Everyone over the age of 60 is entitled to a free NHS sight test, as well as anyone who is house-bound because of a physical or mental disability. But not many older people are taking up their entitlement to these NHS tests; there are four million older people who don't have regular eye tests, despite being entitled to them.

We often hear a lot of cases where a patient in a care home is being disruptive, perhaps not eating or co-operating with staff, but then an optometrist carries out an eye test on them and they simply couldn't see. Once they have a pair of glasses, they're much more settled and are able to have a better quality of life. The optometrist is also able to advise about possible hazards which could cause an accident.

Good eyesight is really crucial to helping people live independently, to improve their quality of life and also to reduce the risk of accidents, particularly falls. We need to ensure that all older people are aware of their entitlements to the free NHS eye care services and that their sight is not overlooked.

Question: The NHS celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Are enough provisions being made by the NHS for people in general who suffer from poor eye health?

Heather Marshall: In England and Wales,many patients groups are entitled to a NHS sight test, including people aged over 60, children under 16, those at risk of glaucoma and those on a low income. There is also the domiciliary eye care service which is a NHS service providing a vital service for people who can't get out to a local practice.

Again, we need to promote greater awareness of these services to those who are entitled to it, particularly vulnerable groups such as children and older people.

Question: As the population ages there will be an even greater demand on health and social services. Why is eye health so important?

Heather Marshall: Eye health is important for everyone. Around 90 per cent of people say that their eyesight is the sense they fear losing the most, yet many of those are not having regular eye tests.

An eye test is not just about checking your vision, whether you can see or not, it is also an important check for the early signs of eye disease. Many eye conditions don't have any symptoms, and if left untreated, they can lead to blindness.

Question: Do you think eye health benefits from as much recognition by parliamentarians as other health issues, or should it have a higher profile?

Heather Marshall: Over the last couple of years, we've worked really hard with parliamentarians to raise the profile of eye health, and now awareness is at an all-time high. In November last year, Rt Hon Kevin Barron MP, chair of the health select committee, hosted our parliamentary reception, and we had over 100 MPs and Peers present to show their support for eye health.

However, we still have a long way to go to get eye health higher up the health agenda. We are expecting an increase in the number of people with conditions such as diabetes, dementia and those suffering from a stroke. With these numbers set to increase, there will be an even greater demand on eye care services as all these people will be at risk of developing a sight problem.

So we want to make sure that eye health is included in the national service frameworks, as well as in the government strategies for these conditions, such as the one for dementia services being developed at the moment.

Question: What plans do you have for attending the party conferences in the autumn?

Heather Marshall: The Eye Health Alliance continues to be a member of the Health Hotel, which is a collaborative venture that puts on a series of health policy events at each of the party conferences.

The Health Hotel has really grown over the last few years, this year the Eye Health Alliance is the vice-chair and we will be chairing the Health Hotel in 2009, which might even be an election year.

Question: Do you have any final comments for ePolitix.com readers?

Heather Marshall: The Eye Health Alliance came together to promote eye health for everyone, and we want to make sure that no-one in the UK loses their eyesight when it could have been prevented.

Regular eye tests are the best way to look after your eyes, and we're working really hard to make sure that everyone, especially vulnerable groups, don't miss out on the vital eye care they need.