RCO identifies cost of rationing cataract surgery

Rationing of second eye cataract surgery by Clinical Commissioning Groups should be avoided at all costs, according to a warning by The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCO).

The RCO stressed late last week that the decision to perform second eye cataract surgery should be based entirely on clinical need.

It followed a report by the Scottish Health Technologies Group (Healthcare Improvement Scotland) showing the overall savings made from carrying out surgery.

The report identified evidence from a randomised controlled trial demonstrating that second eye cataract surgery is cost-effective over an individual’s lifetime. The report concluded that ‘individual patient need should always be considered in prioritising access to second-eye cataract surgery’.