More than half of England's primary care trusts have increased visual acuity thresholds for cataract patients, denying them operations, according to new findings.
A report by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in conjunction with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCO) showed 53 per cent of PCTs had implemented a visual acuity threshold.
The RNIB has called on trust commissioners to drop the restrictions and revert to Department of Health 'Action on Cataract' guidelines for the NHS, laid out a decade ago.
It has also warned against PCTs cancelling cataract surgery in the run-up to new financial periods.
The report found some patients were struggling with their vision, but fell outside the threshold for an operation. A lack of access to second eye cataract surgery was posing an issue for others.
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