Table 1

The backlog of cataract causing visual impairment (visual acuity < 6/12) and the number of new cases expected over a 5 year period, for the population aged 65 and older in England and Wales

		Cataract causing visual impairment:
Age group	% Prevalence of vision impairing cataract	Population of England and Wales	Baseline backlog of unoperated cases	New cases expected over a 5 year period
65–69	11.14	2 342 900	260 997	197 933
70–74	20.33	2 146 900	436 571	381 733
75–79	33.23	1 630 700	541 954	293 561
80–84	48.73	1 168 800	569 542	156 040
85+	56.47	969 500	547 482	91 675

Total		8 258 800	2 356 546	1 120 941

↵Best available age specific prevalence data for the age group 65 and older.4