Surgeon urges IOL upgrades

Cataract patients may soon be able to pay to upgrade their intraocular lenses thanks to the campaigning of a Sunderland consultant ophthalmologist.

Speaking to an audience of health chiefs, MPs and members of the Lords at the Strangers' Dining Room in the House of Commons, Mr David Allen of Sunderland Eye Infirmary argued that cataract patients should be allowed to contribute to their treatment.

Allen has long maintained that patients should be allowed to have new refractive implants fitted rather than the standard NHS replacement lens and pay a fee just for the refractive element of their care rather than the whole operation.