Cataracts are a very common eye condition. As people get older the lens inside the eye gradually changes and becomes less transparent (less clear).
There are two specific measures for the National Cataract Audit:
- The number of patients who experience a common complication (Posterior Capsular Rupture (PCR)) during surgery.
- The number of patients whose eyesight gets worse after surgery.
We encourage you to discuss and understand the risks and potential outcomes of eye surgery with their surgeon including for their own particular risk profile and consider using the NHS England Shared Decision tool during these discussions.
The data you can search represents the data supplied to the National Cataract Audit. We do not have complete national coverage in the UK. Coverage is c. 70% of surgery performed in England and Wales and Guernsey. Scotland and Northern Ireland are in discussions to pilot joining the cataract audit.
Not all centres submit data to the NOD. Where a surgeon works in more than one centre with not all of these submitting data to the NOD, the total number of operations reported as having been undertaken by that surgeon may be incomplete.
If your local cataract provider is not participating in the national cataract audit you can still contact your hospital to request information on the quality of outcomes.