Profession praised for cataract referral role

The profession's direct referral role in improving cataract waiting list times has been praised by the House of Commons health select committee.

However, the committee heard how the government's emphasis on improving figures on the treatment of that disease had led to the service for patients with blinding conditions such as diabetic retinopathy to deteriorate.

The debate, on independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs), took place earlier this month and was chaired by Kevin Barron MP, and heard from the Royal Bolton Hospital ophthalmologist Simon Kelly.

He told MPs his unit had benefited from the Action on Cataract funds, but was concerned at the amount of attention the condition was receiving.

'What this scheme has done is to put disproportionate resources into one particular clinical area,' he said, and, we are now operating on patients at a much earlier stage than before.

'Because of the direct referral from optometrists, which I support and we believe in as an organisation... we are seeing patients referred directly from optometry with cataracts to the Netcare scheme and being operated on very early.'

However, he said 'the next door neighbour of that patient who has really serious problems such as a diabetic retinopathy is left to lie fallow'.

He claimed that if the funds were in the local NHS eye unit the clinicians in the unit could make the decisions on how best to allocate them within their own unit.