Recent restrictions by the NHS on the number of cataract surgeries is a cause of worry to thousands of elderly people who are in need of such a surgery.
Recent restrictions by the NHS on the number of cataract surgeries is a cause of worry to thousands of elderly people, who are in need of such a surgery. Nearly 50% of NHS trusts in England have put forward their own rules for the surgery which are stricter than the national guidelines, according to research by the Royal National Institute of Blind People.
This means that senior people have to wait much longer, by which time their eyesight has deteriorated further. For many, normal life comes to a standstill as they are unable to do some of the tasks due to poor vision.
Steve Winyard, head of policy at the charity, said: “We are desperately concerned about what is happening. These new figures show for the first time what we thought was happening, which is that the numbers of operations being carried out is falling.”
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