The average waiting time for surgery was 28 months, but only three privately PHOTOFUSION/GETTY IMAGESThe average wait for cataract surgery across the country is almost two and a half years, a study has found. The condition, which is predominantly caused by age, leads to “clouding” of the lens in the eye and can lead to loss of sight. Patients in west Cork, which had the longest delays, wait up to five years for the procedure, a study by the Association of Optometrists Ireland (AOI) found. The average waiting time across the country was 28 months, compared with three months in the private sector, according to the research, which surveyed hundreds of optometrists. It also found an average wait time of 15 months for children’s eyecare, with the worst waits reported in east Cork, at 24 months.

Source: The Times May 16, 2018 22:52 UTC