Cataract surgery marks 75th anniversary

NHS representatives have celebrated 75 years of cataract surgery, which was first performed on 8 February 1950.

The procedure, which has been performed nearly one billion times globally since it was pioneered, was developed by Sir Harold Ridley at St Thomas’ Hospital in London.

Sir Harold made the medical breakthrough after treating a Spitfire pilot who had splinters of acrylic in his eye. He noticed that, unlike most other foreign material, the eye did not reject this type of plastic.

At the time, Sir Harold’s invention was considered a radical concept, and initially there was a three-month recovery period between the removal of the cloudy lens and the implantation of the artificial one. Today, the surgery can take between just 15–30 minutes per eye, with patients discharged within hours.

Sir Harold never patented his discovery to enable everyone to benefit from the operation.

To celebrate 75 years since its invention, ophthalmologists at Guy’s and St Thomas’ have unveiled a portrait of Sir Harold, which was gifted to the hospital by the Ridley Eye Foundation.

Dr Sancy Low, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at the hospital, said: “The story of Sir Harold Ridley’s journey is an incredible reminder of how we can bring light to the world, changing the lives of millions worldwide.”

“We learn that innovation is not always easy, and silver linings show up at the most unexpected times, as long as we never give up on doing our best for one another,” she added.

Today St Thomas’ eye department sees 70,000 patients and performs 5000 operations annually.

Patient perspective

Husband and wife John and Freda McBean, from Chislehurst in south east London, have both had the cataract surgery at St Thomas’.

John underwent cataract surgery at the hospital last week, while his wife Freda had surgery last year.

After suffering a tear in his retina 10 years ago, John had surgery to fix it, during which the surgeon noticed a cataract was starting to form.

Over the past five years his vision had started to deteriorate, and following advice from his optometrist, he had cataract surgery on his left eye in the days leading up to the anniversary of the operation.

John, who was one when the first cataract operation was performed, said: “I couldn’t believe it when I was told I was one of the patients getting surgery around the anniversary. It’s amazing that over the course of my lifetime this operation has been finessed, and it’s nice to be a part of the history of the hospital.”

Following the 30-minute procedure, John said: “It was amazing and I am absolutely in awe of the team. I am already feeling better and can see more brightness than I could see before.”

The retired deputy head teacher said he was not as nervous about the surgery as his wife. Before cataract surgery, Freda needed glasses for all her daily tasks. Now, she only needs reading glasses for very fine print.

Retired primary school teacher, Freda, said: “The surgery went beautifully and the experience was unbelievable. Although I was anxious when I first went into the theatre, I was completely reassured by the confident and calm surgical team.”