A cost-benefit analysis of cataract surgery based on the English Longitudinal Survey of Ageing.

This paper uses the English Longitudinal Survey of Ageing to explore the self-report effect of cataract operations on eyesight. Calibrating the results to an existing study of the effect of imperfect eyesight on quality of life, the impact of cataract operations on quality-adjusted-life-years is found to be very similar to that established in specific studies and well above the costs of cataract operations. The implications of this for the treatment of medical care in the national accounts are discussed.