Cataract Surgery
Local charity pleas with PCT not to cancel cataract surgery
The NHS carried out approximately 330,000 Cataract operations in 2008/09 saving the sight of hundreds of thousands of people in the UK. Approximately 5,000 of these operations were carried out in Derbyshire.
However despite it being an operation which is proved to be safe and clinically and cost effective thousands of people may end up living with sight loss unnecessarily as PCT’s are introducing thresholds which may restrict patient access to cataract surgery.
Sight Support Derbyshire say individuals can look after their eyes by eating well, not smoking and wearing eye protection in bright sunlight. However the health service is responsible for providing timely, necessary operations and support to people facing sight loss. As Sight Support Derbyshire reported last week the health service could face a ‘diabetes time bomb’ according to a new report released by the NHS. The report says 800,000 Type 1 and Type 2 patients have elevated blood sugar levels which leads to major problems including kidney failure and blindness. It warned that many of the patients were young or middle aged and could require ‘substantial hospital care in a matter of years’
Sight Support Derbyshire Chief Executive Ges Roulstone said the findings highlighted the need for further action to help prevent the estimated 12,000 people in Derbyshire with Diabetes from developing sight problems and for the 5,000 cataract operations to be undertaken. “Good eye health is the responsibility of the individual, but the NHS is there to provide necessary operations when people are faced with sight loss. We are starting to see a new group of younger people developing sight problems because of the dramatic rise in cases of Diabetes over the past ten years. Sight loss as a result of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy is largely preventable and we are working throughout the County to encourage people to get regular eye tests to make sure any warning signs can be spotted before they develop into a more serious problem. Derby already has a higher than average number of adults with limiting long term illnesses and we want to do everything we can to ensure that no one in Derbyshire loses their sight unnecessarily”.
‘Sight Support Derbyshire supports the latest findings and agrees that it is critical for people who are diagnosed with diabetes and cataracts to receive the tests and operations they require. The effects of sight loss include the loss of paid work, independence and skills for daily living. Sight loss can lead to isolation and depression. We provide services to over 4000 people in Derbyshire who live with a visual impairment to support them to be independent’.
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