Admission made on cataract restrictions

Health boss Sir Bruce Keogh has acknowledged that new commissioning boards must tackle current restrictions on cataract surgery.

He confirmed mounting evidence of many primary care trusts rationing cataract operations through visual acuity thresholds alone.

Sir Bruce, NHS medical director, said: 'There is still squabbling in clinical arenas about the level at which cataracts should be referred. We know that about 50 per cent of PCTs have restricted access to cataract surgery, and we know that the bulk of policies used by PCTs have not used the best evidence to ration that care.'

He was giving evidence to MPs on the Public Accounts Committee amid reforms for PCTs to be replaced by clinical commissioning groups in April.