"Operation Cataract": a means of reducing waiting lists for cataract operations.

Abstract

In 1986 there were 58 000 people in England and Wales on ophthalmic waiting lists, most awaiting operations to remove cataracts. Although 97%/o of these operations were classified as non-urgent, 17% of the patients had been waiting for over a year. Most patients awaiting ophthalmic operations are elderly, and many have other disabilities that are further exacerbated by poor vision. By March 1988 the waiting lists for ophthalmic operations in England and Wales had increased to 66 000.2 The size of the waiting list varies widely among districts, ranging from a few to over 1000 patients. In a fifth of districts a quarter of the patients have been on the waiting list for over a year. If waiting lists were frozen-that is, no new cases were added-it would take half of the district health authorities more than six months at present operating rates to clear the current backlog.'