Assessment of the maximum waiting time guarantee for cataract surgery. The case of a Swedish policy.

Cataract is the most common reason for visual problems in old age. The introduction of intraocular lens (IOL) implantation revolutionized cataract surgery. Since the IOL technique was established in Sweden in the early 1980s, the demand for surgery has been increasing, leading to lengthy waiting lists. To shorten some of the most troublesome waiting lists, national and local governments (county councils) in Sweden introduced a maximum waiting time guarantee in 1992. The assessment of the guarantee made in this article shows that ophthalmic surgery units vary in their adoption of the guarantee, leading to different levels of goal achievement in waiting times for their patients. The less successful units could be divided into two groups: one where the units have a low operation rate, and one where the units chose not to follow the recommendations in priority setting made in the guarantee.