CCGs in England restrict access to cataract surgery

Cataract patients are being forced to wait months for surgery because of NHS cost-cutting, research by the Medical Technology Group (MTG) has revealed.

NHS restrictions on access to cataract surgery – the most common operation in the NHS – have been imposed in more than half of England. Of the 195 NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in England, 104 deemed cataract removal ‘procedures of limited clinical value’.

Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has heavily criticised the decision. ‘It’s shocking that access to this life-changing surgery is being unnecessarily restricted by so many CCGs,’ said Helen Lee, health policy manager at RNIB.