Cataract continues to be a major cause of visual impairment in the UK. Demographic changes over the past 14 years show that there are now 10.8 million people in the UK over the age of 65 (most recent data for mid-2011 to mid-2012), compared to 8.3 million in 1998, with a corresponding increase in the numbers affected by age-related cataract (Office for National Statistics 2013). In a sample of British people aged 75 years or older, it was estimated that 12.5% had visual impairment (defined as binocular visual acuity (VA) of worse than 6/18 when wearing their habitual correction) and that cataract was the cause in 36% of those with visual impairment excluding refractive error (Evans et al. 2004). Hence cataract services remain a priority for the NHS.