“This theatre will help us meet rising demand while ensuring our patients continue to receive the highest standards of surgical excellence,” according to Mr Donal Brosnahan, Head Consultant Ophthalmologist, Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital (RVEEH), Dublin, speaking recently at the opening of the new Dr Kathleen Lynn Cataract Unit.

The theatre, which will greatly improve access to cataract surgery for patients across Ireland, is named in honour of Dr Kathleen Lynn, a pioneering Irish physician, activist, and the first female doctor on the RVEEH’s staff in 1910.  Dedicating the unit to Dr Lynn, Mr Brosnahan stressed how her “values of innovation, compassion and justice continue to inspire us daily,“ further noting how it will also “add to the clinical training we provide to our medical students.”  

The new facility, which includes the addition of a second theatre, will increase the number of cataract surgeries performed annually from 4,300 to 6,000. This will help the hospital meet the Sláintecare target of 50% of patients waiting less than 12 weeks for their procedure. 

Speaking as she performed the official opening, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill explained that “the Dr. Kathleen Lynn Cataract Unit reflects our healthcare goals: greater access, shorter waiting times, and clinical excellence. I am proud to open this cataract theatre today to support the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear in delivering vital services that swiftly enhance patients' quality of life.” 

RVEEH treats more than 130,000 patients each year, with 81% receiving care as public patients. It has over 300 staff working across the Emergency Department, Operating Theatres, Outpatient Departments, the Macular Unit and the Minor Procedures Unit. At the opening, Mr. James O’Donoghue, President of Council, RVEEH, added that the new cataract unit “exemplifies our hospital’s mission to lead in patient care, education, and innovation.”  

The new unit, and the initiative underpinning it, demonstrate how the HSE is delivering on improving waiting times for planned in-patient, day case and outpatient services.