Measuring Wait Times for Eye Surgeries

Patients with emergency conditions (Priority 1) are seen immediately and are not included in wait times data. Priority levels 2, 3, and 4 are determined by surgeons, specialists, and other health care providers, based on clinical evidence, to guide treatment decisions and improve patient access and outcomes.

Wait times for eye surgeries including cataract, corneal transplant, glaucoma, and vitrectomy (retina) surgeries, in Ontario are measured and reported for two periods: Wait 1 and Wait 2. Data excludes patients who did not have the surgery after their first appointment with a surgeon.

Time from referral to first clinician appointment (Wait 1): How long patients waited from an eye specialist or surgeon or central intake office receiving the referral from the patient's doctor, to the patients’ first eye specialist appointment.

Time from decision to surgery (Wait 2): How long patients waited from deciding with the surgeon or specialist to proceed with the surgery, to having the eye surgery. These wait times vary depending on the type of eye surgery (see table below).

Metrics reported for eye surgery wait times, for priority levels 2, 3 and 4, and those three priority levels combined:

The average number of days patients waited. A lower number is better.
The median number of days patients waited (half of the patients waited fewer than this number of days and the other half waited longer). A lower number is better.
The 90th percentile number of days patients waited (90% of patients waited this number of days or fewer, while 10% waited longer). A lower number is better.
The percentage of patients seen, or treated, within the target time for the 90th percentile (the target time within which 90% of patients were seen or treated). A higher percentage is better.
The volume, or number of patients seen or treated during the month reported.

Priority level of patients’ condition	Clinical description	*Target time to patients’ first specialist appointment**
Priority 1	High probability of disease occurrence or progression impacting morbidity or mortality. Intractable agonizing symptoms	Patients see surgeon within 7 days of referral received
Priority 2	Moderate probability of disease progression. Low probability of disease occurrence or progression impacting morbidity or mortality	Patients see surgeon within 30 days of referral received
Priority 3	All patients who do not meet the criteria of Priority 2 or Priority 4	Patients see surgeon within 90 days of referral received
Priority 4	Minimal risk of disease progression impacting morbidity/mortality	Patients see surgeon within 182 days of referral received

Priority level of the patients’ condition	Target time** from decision to having cataract, cornea - other, ocular trauma, ophthalmic plastics, orbital surgery, retina - other, strabismus and glaucoma (eye pressure lowering surgery) - other surgeries	Target time** from decision to having corneal transplant surgery	Target time** from decision to having glaucoma -eye pressure lowering surgery	Target time** from decision to having vitrectomy surgery	Target time** from decision to having combination cataract and other procedures surgery
Priority 1	Patients have surgery within 24 hours of decision (not included in wait times data reported)	Patients have surgery within 24 hours of decision	Patients have surgery within 24 hours of decision	Patients have surgery within 24 hours of decision	Patients have surgery within 24 hours of decision
Priority 2	Patients have surgery within 42 days of decision	Patients have surgery within 28 days of decision	Patients have surgery within 14 days of decision	Patients have surgery within 7 days of decision	Patients have surgery within 7 - 42 days of decision
Priority 3	Patients have surgery within 84 days of decision	Patients have surgery within 84 days of decision	Patients have surgery within 42 days of decision	Patients have surgery within 42 days of decision	Patients have surgery within 42 - 84 days weeks of decision
Priority 4	Patients have surgery within 182 days of decision	Patients have surgery within 182 days of decision	Patients have surgery within 112 days of decision	Patients have surgery within 84 days of decision	Patients have surgery within 84 - 182 days of decision