Reviewed on : 7 May 2020

Reviewed by : Ashif Dhanani

Expires : 7 May 2022

Referral Criteria

Cataract surgery will be commissioned for patients who, after correction (e.g. with glasses), have a visual acuity worse than 6/12 in their cataract affected eye

Referrals for cataract surgery should not be based simply on the presence of a cataract

Cataract surgery will not be commissioned solely for the purpose of correcting longstanding pre-existing myopia and hypermetropia

As an exception, cataract surgery will be commissioned for patients with a visual acuity of 6/12 or better, for those patients whose livelihood would be affected if treatment was not undertaken, where glare disability is significant, where there is significant multiple vision and the condition interferes with day to day living/functioning.

Cataract surgery will be supported where there is binocular disparity/imbalance (anisometropia)

Treatment will also be commissioned for the second eye where it is not 6/12 or worse but not treating would have significant effect on the patient’s vision.