Admissions to hospital of patients where a cataract extraction is undertaken.
The purpose of the indicator is to help monitor the frequency of cataract extraction. A cataract is defined by the loss of the normal transparency of the lens of the eye, which may occur for a number of reasons. The most common is associated with ageing. It either impairs visual function or prevents inspection of or treatment to the retina when required. Inadequate provision of cataract surgery is likely to lead to inappropriately delayed treatment for individual patients and on-going handicap due to impaired visual function. This indicator is intended to act as a basis for population level comparisons of service provision with respect to cataract. It is assumed that the age-specific prevalence of cataract is unlikely to vary substantially geographically, and therefore large variations in the rate of surgery are likely to indicate variations in provision rather than need for cataract extraction. Variability in clinical decision making, in both primary and secondary care, has been identified as a major contributory factor
This indicator has been discontinued and so there will be no further updates.
Legacy unique identifier: P00827