Parliament supports improvements to NHS eye care services

MPs and parliamentarians from across the political spectrum came together last week to hear about the challenges facing eye care services in the UK and the need to improve care and prevent unnecessary sight.

Organised by The Eyes Have It (TEHI) partnership, Westminster Eye Health Day brought together 20 MPs and their representatives to discuss the issues affecting eye health services, including variations in access to care.

The event saw cross-party engagement from Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Greens, Democratic Unionist Party as well as independent MPs.

A cross party event 

Among those attending were Labour MPs Gareth Thomas, Richard Baker and Patricia Ferguson, Conservative MPs Gagan Mohindra and Dame Rebecca Harris, Liberal Democrat MPs Wera Hobhouse and Manuela Perteghella, and Green MP Adrian Ramsay.

Parliamentary researchers also attended, including Helen Maguire, the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Primary Care and Cancer.

Throughout the event, parliamentarians had the opportunity to speak directly with partner organisations, learn more about eye health services and discuss the issues affecting people living with sight loss in their constituencies.

Westminster Eye Health Day was also an opportunity to share the insights from a patient survey and Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, which are helping to build a clearer picture of patients’ experiences in eye care services across the country.

Future action to improve care 

A number of MPs expressed an interest in further discussions, including raising parliamentary questions and engaging with their local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) about the issues highlighted.

Colin Daniels, head of policy and influencing at the Macular Society, said: "Westminster Eye Health Day is a valuable opportunity to highlight the importance of timely treatment for people living with macular disease.

"Treatment delays can lead to unnecessary and avoidable sight loss and the impact this can have on people's daily life is huge.

"The emotional impact of living with sight loss cannot be underestimated and it's important to be able to share the real life experiences of patients with MPs, to improve care and quality of life." 

TEHI will now build on this work by focusing on discussions with ICBs, using the evidence already gathered.

Westminster Eye Health Day 2026 is an annual event in TEHI calendar and marks an important opportunity to strengthen relationships with parliamentarians and ensure that the experiences of people affected by macular disease, and other eye conditions, help to shape the future of eye care services.