BMJ 1999;318:1367-1368 ( 22 May )

Editorials

Waiting in the dark: cataract surgery in older people

We need better means of assessing priorities for surgery 

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Cataract extraction is the most common elective surgical procedure performed in older people, with over 105 000 NHS operations each year. Advances in surgical and anaesthetic techniques over the past 15 years have transformed it into a day case procedure using local anaesthetic. These advances, combined with an ageing population and higher patient expectations, mean that demand continues to rise, with increasing numbers waiting for cataract surgery. The effectiveness of first eye cataract surgery is well established. However, up to a third of current cataract operations in the United Kingdom are done on second eyes, and now there is evidence that the outcome is better when they are done soon after the first procedure rather than later.¹ Given these demands, how are ophthalmologists to prioritorise their waiting lists?

In a randomised trial of expedited second eye surgery (within six weeks of the first) versus routine surgery (within 7-12 months of the first) . . . [Full text of this article]

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Rapid Responses:

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Avoiding waiting in the dark: simultaneous bilateral cataract extraction?

Andrew Coombes
bmj.com, 24 Jun 1999 [Full text]