WHAT A BLIND INJUSTICE!

Charities’ fury as thousands are denied life-changing cataract surgery – in defiance of minister’s demands

TWO in three health trusts are denying patients cataract surgery, months after being told to stop rationing the procedure.

In defiance of official guidelines, they are refusing to refer patients for the life- changing operation unless their vision is deemed sufficiently poor.

Only those with the worst test scores are considered by these trusts for surgical treatment of the condition, which affects 4.5million adults in England.

Last night officials said it was ‘completely unacceptable’ for trusts to ignore the guidelines. The Royal National Institute of Blind People said it was ‘outraged’ by the figures.

In October, watchdog Nice instructed trusts to offer the surgery as soon as a patient’s quality of life was impaired, if their doctor thought they would benefit. The guidelines were ordered by Jeremy Hunt after the Daily Mail’s Save Our Sight campaign exposed the cruelty