Cataract patients in Bristol have spoken of their relief after their vision was saved thanks to surgery at a specialist cataract treatment centre. Community eye care provider ACES has received approval from Bristol, North Somerset and Gloucestershire ICB to begin treating NHS eye care patients.
Ann and Sana were treated by ACES and praised how quickly they had surgery once they had been referred.
Ann said: “Before I had treatment I was struggling to read and watch television, so I was pleased that I didn’t have to wait long at all once I was referred to ACES. I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived at the clinic, but all the staff were very kind and it was finished quickly.”
Sana said: “My eyesight was impacting almost every aspect of my life – I couldn’t do basic household chores. I was treated just three weeks after referral and I’d definitely recommend ACES to others. The staff were all lovely and very comforting.”
Cataracts are cloudy patches that form on the natural lens of your eye. Over time these patches usually become bigger, causing blurry vision and if left untreated, can eventually lead to blindness. The condition largely affects older people, and the longer they go without treatment, the greater the risk of associated mental health issues, or of suffering a serious fall, which requires urgent and costly medical care. Statistics show that 1 in 3 adults over the age of 65 suffer a fall every year, rising to 1 in 2 over the age of 80[1] .
Until now, NHS cataract patients in Bristol have often suffered severe delays for treatment. The approval of ACES marks a step towards reducing the backlog for cataract surgery, meaning patients in the city won’t have to wait as long to receive care. People who live in Bristol who have any concerns about their eyesight are encouraged to book a consultation with their optometrist or speak to their GP who can then refer them onto ACES for treatment.
ACES typically treats the cataracts of NHS patients four weeks from their pre-assessment[2], with opportunity for patients existing to have surgery within fourteen days, significantly reducing waiting times in the process. Giving patients the care they need in a timely manner helps to avoid further medical complications caused by poor eyesight, for example by reducing the risk of trips and falls. ACES expert surgeons are delivering the NHS service from Optical Express’s state of the art clinic in Bristol.
Stephen Hannan, Clinical Services Director at Optical Express and ACES, said: “This partnership has been crucial in supporting NHS patients up and down the country to get the visual care they need. Lengthy waiting lists for NHS cataract surgery represent one of the biggest problems facing the eye care sector, and we’re very proud to be helping to reduce it. It’s vital that anyone who is concerned about their vision speaks to an optometrist, or their GP, to be referred to ACES.”
In addition to its new offer in Bristol, ACES has also won permission to begin treating NHS patients in many other Integrated Care Board (ICB) areas in England. Across the country ACES offer fast-track cataract procedures to patients within 2 to 4 weeks of referral.
[2] Treatment, appointment and wait time is subject to availability and dependent on patient and clinic location.
