Thousands of elderly people are having to put up with deteriorating sight because they are denied cataract surgery on the NHS by ‘cruel and random’ rationing, campaigners warn.
Some health trusts offer the procedure only to patients whose sight is so poor it has led to them having a fall, research has found.
Nearly half of health trusts ration operations, with many turning patients away unless they can no longer drive, read or recognise their friends.