Question from Deputy Shane Moynihan - PQ 41520-26

To ask the Minister for Health the way in which the HSE's current child vision screening and follow-up pathways account for the onset of myopia in children typically occurring between the ages of 8 and 16 given that children are discharged from public eye care services at age 8 if no issues are identified at that point; whether she has considered extending screening or follow-up supports beyond this age range in light of projections that up to 50% of the global population may be myopic by 2050; and if she will make a statement on the matter.