An optical campaign group has told members of the Scottish Parliament that over 29,000 patients have experienced waiting times of more than 16 weeks, to receive specialist NHS ophthalmology treatment.
The Eyes Have It partnership and Sight Scotland have said NHS figures show these patients made up over 50% of the entire ophthalmology waiting list. With Ophthalmology being the third busiest outpatient speciality in NHS Scotland.
CEO of Sight Scotland, Craig Spalding, said: ‘The situation has worsened due to the Covid-19 pandemic which led to a dramatic fall in outpatient activity, but there is now an opportunity to improve efficiency, effectiveness and patient experience as the healthcare system looks towards COVID-19 recovery. Reducing waiting lists must be a key priority.’
