Stop delaying cataract surgery, doctors told

THE NHS must stop rationing cataract surgery, or delaying it until elderly patients are almost blind, new health service guidance states.

Patients who are losing their sight are waiting up to 15 months for cataract surgery, amid a stark postcode lottery in the health service. Some are going untreated until they are nearly blind.

The guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says the NHS should not rely on sight tests to decide whether surgery is warranted. Instead, trusts should take a “patientcentred approach” and offer operations when a patient feels their quality of life is affected by their sight loss.

Mike Burdon, an ophthalmic surgeon and chairman of the guideline committee, said restricting access to the £700 procedure cost the NHS more in the long run. He said: “It should be offered promptly to every patient who wants and needs it.”