THE COST OF BLINDNESS IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND 2010-2020
Author(s)
Green D1, O Neill C2, Ducorroy G1, Skelly A1, Keegan D3, Kenny D4, Naughton A3, Keegan D3
1Novartis Ireland, Dublin 4, Ireland, 2National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway, Ireland, 3Mater Misericordiae Ubiversity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, 4National Council for the Blind Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
OBJECTIVES Aims The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of blindness in the Republic of Ireland and estimate the financial and economic cost of blindness between 2010 and 2020 METHODS The prevalence of blindness was based on the National Council for the Blind of Ireland blind register and adjusted for under registration found in previous literature. The financial cost of blindness was based on the sum of total direct and indirect healthcare costs (direct healthcare costs due to blindness, cost of depression due to blindness, cost of injurious falls due to blindness) and non-healthcare costs (productivity losses, informal care and deadweight welfare loss). Where possible, methods adopted reflect those used elsewhere in the literature. RESULTS The total financial cost of blindness in the ROI is estimated to have been €276. million in 2010. This is projected to increase by 32.6% to €367 million in 2020 if current trends in disease burden continue. The total economic cost of blindness in the ROI is estimated to be €809 million in 2010 and is predicted to increase to over €1.1 billion in CONCLUSIONS A significant proportion of blindness can be avoided through the implementation of existing technologies by the health service. However a significant portion (98.04%) of the burden of illness falls beyond the health service (primarily to the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Finance) and may serve to reduce the priority of policies aimed at avoiding blindness that might otherwise be received.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2014-11, ISPOR Europe 2014, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Value in Health, Vol. 17, No. 7 (November 2014)
Code
PSS19
Topic
Economic Evaluation
Topic Subcategory
Cost/Cost of Illness/Resource Use Studies
Disease
Sensory System Disorders