Patients waiting for eye health appointments in Milton Keynes face one of longest waiting lists in the country

That’s according to new research which found that NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes faced the second most pressured waiting lists for eye health treatment in England in 2025.

The number of completed treatments was more than 25 per cent less than the number of new referrals. This was the second highest rate recorded for any ICB in England in 2025.

The research, which investigated ophthalmology waiting lists across England’s 42 Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), by comparing additional patient referrals to completed treatments, found there were more than 35,892 referrals to NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes last year.

However, only 26,256 treatments were completed suggesting more than 9,600 people were added to its waiting list.

The findings form part of wider research commissioned by Newmedica to understand disparities in access to clinical eye care as part of its Championing Eye Health: patient choice and preventing avoidable sight loss report.

Nigel Kirkpatrick, medical director at Newmedica, said: “The growing pressure we see on ophthalmology waiting lists is a clear warning that eye health across England is under threat, with the situation one of the most concerning in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes.

“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 continue to occur, often because care is delivered too late. Patients are being let down. This stark situation must be tackled through reform which aligns with the 10 Year Health Plan to generate 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 list pressure in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes and significantly improve ophthalmology patient outcomes.”

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.

“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."

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.

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**.

The aim was to gain a deeper understanding of the nation’s blind spots – areas where large numbers of people may be suffering from these eye conditions but are currently invisible to the system.

In an index ranking of 42 ICBs across England in 2025, NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes was the second bottom for its estimated glaucoma treatment gap with an estimated shortfall of more than 24,500 prescriptions. It placed 33rd for AMD with an estimated shortfall of more than 2,000 injections and 26th for cataracts with an estimated shortfall of 82 people.

The ICB for NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, was approached for comment but had not responded by our deadline.