NHS Devon faces most-pressured waiting lists for eyecare in England
NHS Devon faced the most-pressured waiting lists for eye-health treatment in England last year, according to new findings.
Eye-health specialist Newmedica’s research investigated ophthalmology waiting list pressures across England’s 42 Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) by comparing additional patient referrals to completed patient pathways.
The findings showed that there were more than 66,564 referrals to NHS Devon last year, but only 47,652 treatments were completed across the 12 months – suggesting that almost 19,000 people were added to its waiting list.
Overall, the number of completed treatments was almost 30 per cent less than the number of new referrals. This was the highest rate recorded for any ICB in England in 2025 and a stark contrast to neighbouring Dorset, where the number of completed treatments exceeded the number of referrals.
For England as a whole, the difference between yearly total referrals and yearly completed ophthalmology pathways was estimated to be 187,952, with completed treatments 8.6 per cent less than the number of new referrals. Across the South West, this waiting list pressure is an estimated 22,417 patients, with completed treatments 9.2 per cent less than the number of new referrals.
Nigel, Kirkpatrick, medical director at Newmedica, said: “The growing pressure we see on ophthalmology is a clear warning that eye health across England is under threat, with the situation especially concerning in Devon.
“This isn’t a failure of clinical expertise – we work closely with the NHS every day and see first-hand the exceptional care provided to patients up and down the country. Rather, the increasing pressure on waiting lists is a consequence of a system under funding pressure and a lack of transparency, which makes it impossible for health commissioners to prioritise need.
“The result is that many instances of avoidable sight loss continues to occur, often because care is delivered too late. Patients are being let down. This stark situation must be tackled through reform aligned to the 10-Year Health Plan, which generates greater collaboration between independent and NHS providers and deliver genuine patient choice.
“By embracing reform, we can create a new system which delivers high-quality consultant-led care at scale. In doing so there’s a real opportunity to increase capacity, drive down waiting lists in Devon and significantly improve ophthalmology patient outcomes.”
The findings form part of wider research that Newmedica commissioned to understand disparities in access to clinical eye care as part of its Championing Eye Health: patient choice and preventing avoidable sight loss report.
As a result of the findings, Newmedica is calling for mandatory reporting of ophthalmology waiting lists and follow up waiting lists by condition. This can increase transparency and enable commissioners to target resources effectively to support efficient pathways which reduce clinical risk and give patients informed choice.
Speaking about the research, broadcaster Gyles Brandreth, who has been campaigning to end avoidable blindness for more than 20 years, said: “This new research is shocking and lays bare the growing pressure on ophthalmology services across the country.
“Most sight loss is avoidable if it is treated early enough. However, growing pressure on waiting lists means that, in many cases, people will have to wait far too long to receive treatment. This creates a significant and totally unnecessary risk that many people could needlessly go blind while they await treatment.
“I’ve campaigned to end avoidable sight loss internationally for many years but to see this situation unfolding in the UK is incredibly concerning. There’s no doubt that we have the expertise to address this situation. However, we need to act urgently to increase capacity across ophthalmology services so people can be treated more quickly. If we fail to act, the consequences could be catastrophic for a great number of people who risk losing their sight.”
The research also investigated potential treatment gaps across England for AMD (age-related macular degeneration), cataracts and glaucoma – using the latest publicly-available data* to compare the estimated age-adjusted prevalence of these conditions in ICB areas with recorded treatment interventions**.
In an index ranking of the 42*** ICBs across England in 2025 where first was the relatively best performing and 42ndthe relatively worst, NHS Devon placed 24th for cataracts treatments, delivering 146 more treatments than the estimated rate, with 14,495 surgeries completed.
It ranked 14th for AMD with 23,420 injections administered against the estimated requirement of 21,484. For glaucoma treatment NHS Devon placed 11th, with 269,204 prescriptions administered against an estimate requirement of 243,279.
For more information you can download the Championing Eye Health: patient choice and preventing avoidable sight loss report here: http://www.newmedica.co.uk/championing-eye-health
