A NUMBER of patients who underwent cataract operations in Morecambe Bay hospitals have been left with “clouded” vision after they were fitted with faulty lenses.

Some patients who had the corrective eye surgery between July 2000 and March 2001 reported suffering from clouded vision after they were fitted with the bogus batch.

Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust surgeons, who discovered that some of the Aqua Sense lenses were susceptible to clouding, flagged up the fault to the Medical Devices Agency and the lenses were later withdrawn.

The Trust has had 23 enquiries about the lenses and a group of patients from the Lancaster area is considering legal action against the manufacturers.

A spokesperson for MBHT said it was not known how many patients had been affected but those who had been fitted with the faulty lenses would have to undergo corrective surgery.

Cataracts cause vision to become blurred and dull and more than half of the population over 65 have some degree of cataract formation. During surgery the patient’s lens containing the cataract is removed and replaced with a plastic implant.

The spokesperson for MBHT, who stressed that not every patient fitted with the lenses would be affected, said: “The Trust is going to be contacting all the patients that could be potentially affected. Any patient that had a lens implant between July 2000 and March 2001 at Lancaster and feels they have a problem should contact us on 01229-491006.”