Wait for eye surgery in Wales 'unacceptable' says minister

According to the item by BBC Radio Wales, the number waiting more than 12 months for eye surgery has risen from 219 to 636. The BBC investigation comes two months after the Labour Government announced plans that it was to plough &\#163;20m into cataract services over the next two years (News, July 7). The problem is being felt most acutely in Merthyr Tydfil and the Cynon Valley where there has been a 40 per cent increase in three months. There is also an a rise in the number waiting more than six months for an initial appointment with an eye specialist, the BBC investigation has claimed. Nevertheless, Jane Hutt, Assembly health secretary, told the BBC: 'The good news is that the waiting lists for eye operations, including cataract operations, are now beginning to fall.' She admitted that the wait for cataract operations in Wales was 'totally unacceptable'.