Patients' maximum acceptable waiting time for cataract surgery: a comparison at two time-points 7 years apart.

Reducing the actual mean waiting time had no impact on the mean MAWT. Patients with poor tolerance of waiting had greater self-reported difficulty with vision. Social support was also a strong predictor from the patients' perspective. The VF-14 score had a greater impact than clinical visual acuity (VA) testing. Considering the implementation of standards for waiting lists, objective criteria to guarantee a transparent system should be taken into account.