Members of the island’s Macular Disease Society have renewed their call for on-island treatment for sufferers who currently experience delays and time consuming travel off island travel for treatment.
Opticialn Patricia Wild, who is a member of the society said timely treatment for the condition, once diagnosed was vital to arrest its development but delays in UK treatments meant this often did not happen. In addition she said many sufferers were elderly and found the travel to and from the UK for treatment extremely arduous.
She said a recent report in the Daily Telegraph said elderly patients were falling victim to lengthy UK waiting times for treatment and losing their sight unnecessariy.
‘It’s a national problem but the repercussions for the Isle of Man are great because we are at the end of the queue,’ she said, adding that on-island treatment could be a cost-effective option.
The Department of Health statement said it was keen to establish treatment on the island but added: ‘The Ophthalmic Department does not currently have the capacity, the infrastructure or the manpower to deliver, on the island, what is a highly specialised service.’
It said set up costs would be prohibitive and added: ‘The service is known to ‘mushroom’, evidenced by the sometimes longer than desirable waiting times patients going to Aintree may have. This will very quickly happen on the island should a service be established.
‘The service must be permanent and to safeguard its long term viability, it is envisaged that it should be an integral part of the various services of the Ophthalmic Department. Work is ongoing to find the best way to provide this service on-Island, which remains one of the Department’s priorities. As soon as the Department has definitive information, this will be communicated appropriately.’