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Cataract

Checked: 23-01-2020 by Vicky Ryan Next Review: 23-01-2021

Cataracts

Surgical treatment of Cataracts are subject to the Cataract Surgery Criteria Based Access Policy.

Please check optician referrals against this policy prior to referral to secondary care. Referrals that do not meet the criteria will be returned by the referral service or the provider.

Referral

Referrals should be by eRS to the Ophthalmology Pathway but only be made if patients meet the CBA policy criteria.

As of 06/01/2020 all referrals should be submitted in eRS to: "Speciality - Ophthalmology", "Clinic Type - Not Otherwise Specified", "Search Primary Care" and select "Ophthalmology Pathway - BNSSG CCG - 11H" This applies to ALL Cataract referrals from ALL BNSSG Practices

Additional information should also be included in the referral including:

History of current and previous ophthalmology problems/procedures

Computerised summary including:

Past medical history - if diabetes then please give details of management.
Medication - including use of anti-coagulants/ anti-platelets
Allergies
Investigations - include most recent BMI, BP, eGFR, HbA1c (if diabetes)

The Bristol Eye Hospital and Referral Service have developed a standard Cataract Referral Form which captures the required information and will help to avoid possible delays in treatment. This form should now be available as an EMIS template (via resource publisher). It should now be used for all cataract referrals and accepted by all providers.

Complications following cataract surgery

Minor post cataract surgery complications

Clinicians should refer all non-Bristol Eye Hospital cataract surgery patients who have minor post-cataract surgery complications (e.g. post-operative iritis and post-operative cystoid macula oedema) back to their respective cataract providers in the first instance (for patients on both NHS and private pathways).

BEH has a direct referral pathway for patients meeting criteria for BEH cataract surgery. For follow-ups for patients on this pathway, please contact uhb-tr.behcataractfollowups@nhs.net. This is only for BEH cataract surgery patients.

Urgent or severe post cataract surgery complications

BEH will accept urgent, sight threatening post-operative conditions (e.g. endophthalmitis) via BEH ED - Telephone: 0117 342 4613 (9-4pm, 7 days a week).

Urgent Ophthalmology Referrals (Remedy BNSSG ICB)

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.