A City of York councillor has revealed one of the reasons he is standing down at this year's local election is because he is losing his sight to cataracts.

City of York councillor Andrew Armstrong who is standing down at this year's local election because he is losing his sight to cataracts. Picture: Nigel Holland

Coun Andrew Armstrong, aged 73, has been told it could be early next year before he can have the simple operation to correct his vision.

The revelation comes as The Evening Press today reveals the full extent of the lottery of cataract surgery.

Our investigation into the length of time people are waiting for operations that can restore sight shows people in York wait on average at least 13 months from the time of first seeing their GP.

In Wakefield, most people have the operation within about six months, while in Leeds, meanwhile, they wait from 13 months to 18 months.

Coun Armstrong said today he found it increasingly difficult to read council documents because of his poor sight.

He had nothing but praise for York District Hospital staff struggling to cope with a backlog of 1,100 cases in far from ideal conditions.

But he said: "It can't be right that people have such a long wait in one area, and such a short wait in another.

"I've now been offered the operation towards the end of the year or the beginning of next year. There will then be another long wait before I get the second eye done.

"I have a cousin living in the Scottish borders. She had one eye done in a matter of weeks, and the next eye four to five weeks after that.

"When you're old, months matter. They could make all the difference between seeing your grandchildren and not."

Susan Acott, general manager for surgical services at the YDH, admitted waiting times were not ideal.

She said the appointment of an extra consultant had helped reduce maximum waiting times from 18 months to 12.

But she admitted staff were struggling to cope in a department that was hopelessly overcrowded.

She said: "We basically need a new eye department. Even if we had another consultant, we have no more room in theatre, no more room in outpatients.

"There is a very constrained and poor environment for our patients."

She said the hospital was putting together a proposal for a new department, but it would cost more than £1 million, and it was unlikely to get approval from regional health chiefs and planners.

Peter Droog, director of commissioning at North Yorkshire Health Authority, said its aim was for no patients to have to wait more than 15 months in total from first being referred by a GP for the operation.

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