More people in Somerset visited hospital for problems with their vision in 2023-24, recent figures show.

A charity that funds research to combat sight loss warned of "a growing postcode lottery" in access to NHS eyecare.

Figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities show around 40,715 people in the NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board area attended a hospital outpatient vision appointment in 2023-24.

It was up 5% from 38,805 people the previous year, and the highest figure since records began in 2013-14.

All figures have been rounded to the nearest five.

It means 5,926 people per 100,000 population attended an appointment in the area, which was below the 6,127 per 100,000 average rate across England.

The number of people attending appointments across England has increased over the last decade, despite a drop during and following the Covid-19 pandemic, which the OHID says is due to the ageing population.

Nationally, almost 3.7 million people attended hospital outpatient appointments for vision in 2023-24.

It was up 7% from 3.4 million the year before, and also the highest figure since records began.

But the figures show there were significant differences in access to eye care across the country.

While the North West recorded 6,432 people per 100,000 attending a vision-related hospital appointment in 2023-24, this rate fell to 5,632 per 100,000 people in the South East.

A Royal College of Ophthalmologists spokesperson warned of long waiting times for access to eye care across England.

They said: "There are currently just under 600,000 people awaiting a first appointment, and a high burden on follow-up waits for sight-threatening conditions such as complex glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration who risk irreparable sight loss if they wait too long."

They explained most units do not have enough consultants to meet patient demand, adding pressure on services could increase as an ageing population may lead to increasingly frequent eye health conditions.

"This will be felt most acutely in areas with high population density of elderly people," they said.

"For sustainable and comprehensive ophthalmology services, it's essential that all treatment, including cataract surgery, should be delivered based on clinical need, not restricted by funding limitations."

A spokesperson for the Fight for Sight charity warned of a "lack of funding and interest to take up ophthalmology as a vocation".

They added "there's a growing postcode lottery" in access to support after a vision diagnosis, with "higher concentrations" of sight loss charities in the South East compared to rural areas and the north.

They said this lack of support "could have a knock-on effect on eye health", as "people just may not be aware that they should be getting their eyes tested, especially if they have hereditary conditions such as glaucoma".

Overall, 9.8 million vision-related hospital appointments were attended in England in 2023-24, including 96,885 in Somerset.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We want to make it as easy as possible for people to access eye care by expanding the NHS services offered by high street opticians.

"Our 10 Year Health Plan will shift more care into the community, giving power to patients, and has a specific focus on improving services in more deprived or under-served communities.

"The total ophthalmology waiting list has decreased by more than 20,000 since July last year and we have now delivered an additional 4.6 million appointments overall."