8week median wait · June 2026
Half of the 380 people on the ophthalmology list here have been waiting longer than 8 weeks, half less. That is 4 weeks longer than a year ago. It is about 2 weeks shorter than the England average for this specialty.
86%
seen within 18 weeks
(the standard is 92%)
20
weeks for the slowest 8% of the queue
163 / 298
shortest wait in England for this specialty
Which way it’s moving
4 weeks longer than a year ago.
That hides a turn: it is 4 weeks longer than twelve months ago, but 1 week shorter than six months ago.
Median wait each month, 18 months to June 2026.
How the queue is spread
Treating sooner nearby
Comparable providers within 75 miles reporting a shorter wait. You have a legal right to ask for any of them.
| Provider | Miles | Median | Sooner by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anglia Community Eye Service - Thetford Healthy Living Centre Thetford | 62 miles | 4 wks | 4 wks |
| Spamedica Wokingham Wokingham | 63 miles | 4 wks | 4 wks |
| Aces Milton Keynes Milton Keynes | 52 miles | 4 wks | 4 wks |
| Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre - Gillingham Gillingham | 44 miles | 4 wks | 4 wks |
| Optegra Eye Hospital Maidstone West Malling | 48 miles | 4 wks | 4 wks |
Other waits here
The same right to choose applies to every one of these. Rivers Hospital reports 6 other specialties in the June 2026 figures.
| Specialty | Waiting | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Trauma and Orthopaedic | 1,539 | 14 wks |
| General Surgery | 665 | 13 wks |
| Gastroenterology | 600 | 9 wks |
| Urology | 425 | 13 wks |
| Gynaecology | 414 | 20 wks |
| Ear Nose and Throat | 198 | 20 wks |
Straight answers
About this figure
- It’s about six weeks behind. NHS England publishes monthly, with a lag. This page shows June 2026.
- It’s a trust-level average, not your wait. Your own wait depends on urgency, clinical need and which site you are treated at. Large trusts run several hospitals.
- It counts people still waiting (incomplete pathways at month end), not people already treated.
This page presents official statistics and points to a right you already have. It isn’t medical advice, and it can’t tell you whether switching is right for you. Your clinician can.