The Hospital Authority plans to cut waiting times for cataract operations when it brings in more streamlined procedures next month. It follows a pilot scheme for a high-flow cataract surgical model at the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital that began in November.

Under the high-flow model, eight patients can undergo surgery in each session, up from five in the past.

Professor Alvin Young, the Hospital Authority’s New Territories East cluster coordinator of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, said efficiency improved before, during and after surgery.

High-flow patients must meet a number of requirements, such as being under 85 years old with no complex diseases and being able to take care of themselves. They are also asked to use pre-cataract surgery eye drops before arriving at the hospital.

“The admission procedure has been simplified, and then the patients have been empowered to prepare themselves on the day of the surgery. By the time they come to the operating suite, they're already prepared, rather than all the preparatory work has to be done by our professional staff,” Young said.

The hospital also has two teams of nurses that rotate during the surgery session.

“By the time the surgeon has finished the operation, another patient is already ready for the surgeon to move over to do the surgery, requiring an extra team of nursing support,” Young said.

He also said clerical staff will do the paperwork after the surgery, instead of doctors.

Young said patients only needed to stay in the hospital for around two hours, compared with six hours before.

The Hospital Authority said thanks to the success of the pilot scheme, other hospitals can use the same high-flow model so more surgery can be performed.

Currently, the authority receives 25,000 to 30,000 new cataract patients a year.

As of June 30, more than 65,000 patients were waiting for cataract surgery in public hospitals, with some having to wait up to 37 months.