Westport eye service returns

West Coasters will again have access to specialist eye services with Nelson-based specialists to replace the Christchurch ones who left in June.

West Coast District Health Board operations manager Ebel Kremer said the first outpatients' clinic would be held in Greymouth on September 27 and 28, then clinics would be monthly - some at Grey Hospital in Greymouth and some in Westport.

There are currently 224 people on the waiting list - 131 of them waiting for more than six months.

At Grey Hospital, urgent patients wait almost 11 months on average, semi-urgent 20 months and routine over 27 months.

At Buller, urgent patients are waiting just over four months, while semi-urgent and routine cases wait just over five months.