Question:
My dad is getting on a bit and possibly has cataracts. Can anyone tell
me what the NHS is like for fixing them , waiting lists and stuff? What
are the private health options location , quality and cost?
Answer:
My mother-in-law has hers done on the NHS. It was quite competently
done, but there was a *lot* of sitting around. For example, the
consultant timetabled his appointments from 0900, but (according to the
receptionist) also had a meeting at 0900 which usually lasted half an
hour - delays increasing thereafter. The waiting list was fair - 4-5
months, I think. I would, as advised by JK, definitely price-up the
private alternative. The op is very routine, and may well use the same
staff, probably with slightly better equipment. Quality should be OK via
either route, private will be much faster price.. ask. (A quick google
on "cataract operation price" returns ¡ê995 per eye at
http://www.birkdaleclinic.com/cataracts.htm )
Almost any optometrist (or whatever opticians are called these days)
should be able to determine by a slit lamp examination whether or not
your father has developing cataracts. Basically it's a fogging of the
lens due to a hardening of the proteins in the lens. A slow process that
can take years before it's noticed. A simple test is to shine a small
torchlight across the eye. If your dad can see a milky/hazy effect then
a nuclear sclerotic cataract is a possibility.
