The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has discovered that eye care and support services for blind and partially sighted people could be at risk in nearly half of all local authority areas.
Almost 50 per cent of council local needs assessments, a document which looks at the health needs of a local population and sets out what services are available as well as identifying areas for improvements, do not include any information on sight loss.
Because this information is not being recorded, it makes it more difficult to commission effective services for blind and partially sighted people living in these areas.
Failing to identify groups of people at risk of developing sight loss, such as older people, smokers and those with diabetes, in local assessments will lead to long term problems.
Understanding the needs and make-up of the local population can help to identify where to best place limited resources now and in the future.
Tara Melton, RNIB Eye Health Campaigns Officer, said: "We are urging local authorities not to lose sight of the eye health needs of local people.
"It is predicted that by 2050 the number of people with sight loss in the UK will double. Local authorities need to be prepared and ensure they have an accurate picture in order to plan for the future.
Prevention
Sight loss prevention is a clear public health priority. The NHS Public Health Outcomes Framework, which is a set of objectives for local authorities set by the Secretary of State for Health, now includes an indicator to measure avoidable sight loss.
RNIB looked at all local authorities' most recent Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) and ranked them according to whether or not they contain quality information related to the local needs of blind and partially sighted people, and those at risk of developing sight loss.
The research shows that some regions, such as London, the West Midlands and the North West, need to improve the level of information they record which relates to eye health.
RNIB is concerned that if information on sight loss is either weak or excluded within a JSNA it will be more difficult for commissioners to understand the needs of blind and partially sighted people and those who are at risk of developing sight loss. RNIB is calling upon Local Authorities and Health and Wellbeing Boards to include information on people with or at risk of sight loss.
RNIB as part of the UK Vision strategy has produced guidance on eye health and sight loss information to include within a JSNA