Eye specialists say hundreds of patients suffer irreversible sight loss every year in England because services are overstretched and under-resourced. The president of The Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Prof Carrie MacEwen, writing for the BBC's Scrubbing Up, warns the NHS is struggling to keep up because of a "perfect storm" of increased demand, caused by more eye disease in an ageing population which requires requiring long term care. She says the current treatment targets fail to reflect the critical importance of follow-up appointments, which may be delayed for months or even years. "Many eye diseases which can cause sight loss are more common in older people and our aging population means the demand on ophthalmology, like all areas of healthcare, is increasing like never before."