Julieta (Cataract Surgery Patient) at ACES London White City
A cataract patient has spoken of her relief after her vision was saved thanks to surgery at a specialist cataract treatment centre in White City. Julieta, who avoided having to wait for treatment by receiving cataract surgery from ACES’s clinic in West London, praised how quickly she was treated once referred.
Community eye care provider ACES recently won approval from North West London ICB to begin treating NHS eye care patients like Julieta.
Julieta previously experienced difficulty with everyday tasks like driving due to poor vision – but now, thanks to receiving cataract surgery from ACES, her eyesight has transformed: “My quality of life has improved a lot and I’m already driving again.”
“This surgery meant that I didn’t need to spend months on a waiting list, so it was a real relief to be seen so quickly and it’s great that I can now complete everyday tasks as easily as I used to. I strongly recommend ACES to anyone who is having difficulty with their vision.”
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 White City 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 area won’t have to wait as long to receive care. People who live in White City 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 the opportunity for existing patients 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 new NHS service from Optical Express’s state of the art clinic in White City.
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 White City, ACES has also won permission to begin treating NHS patients in many other Integrated Care Board (ICB) areas in England.
[2] Treatment, appointment and wait time is subject to availability and dependent on patient and clinic location.
