Cataract waiting list doubles

ALMOST double the amount of Clare people are awaiting treatment for cataracts since 2021, writes Páraic McMahon. New figures released by the HSE reveal that the Inpatient/ Day Case (IPDC) Waiting List for the county has almost doubled. 99 people in Clare were awaiting cataract procedures in May 2021 compared to 188 patients at the end of January 2023. 53 people were waiting up to 12 months for a proce- dure.

Urgent investment is ophthalmology services in the MidWest is required to address the growing waiting list for cataract procedures, Clare TD Michael McNamara (IND) has said.

“A stand-alone high-volume consultant-led cataract theatre was opened by the UL Hospital Group in Nenagh Hospital in 2018, with the intention that it would facilitate patients from Clare to avail of their treatment