Ophthalmology in Northwood, Middlesex

Any change in vision can be a cause for concern. Perhaps you’ve noticed when reading that the words seem a bit less clear than previously, or maybe you’re struggling with pain in or around your eye.

When a change in your vision starts to affect daily life, we don’t believe you should just have to accept it. Ophthalmology involves the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of problems in and around the eye. A doctor who specialises in this area is known as a Consultant Ophthalmologist.

The Consultant Ophthalmologists at Bishops Wood Hospital help people with a wide range of conditions and symptoms.

Bishops Wood Hospital is located in Northwood in North West London, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. People visit us from local areas including Rickmansworth, Chorleywood, Pinner, Ruislip and Amersham, as well as Uxbridge, Chalfont and Watford. We also welcome patients from across the UK as well as abroad. When you go private, you can choose which hospital and which consultant are the best fit for you.

Whether you are interested in reducing your dependency on glasses or would like to get advice about treatment options for a degenerative eye condition, they will give you helpful advice about what would be best for you. If treatment is needed, they will arrange that for you as soon as possible.

Many factors can affect eye health, including injury, disease and the ageing process.

People usually visit us for help because they have one of these common symptoms:

• Blurred vision
• Reduced vision
• Glare/dazzle
• Colour losing intensity
• Light sensitivity
• Eye pain / discomfort
• Floaters

The Ophthalmology specialists at Bishops Wood Hospital see and treat people with many eye conditions, including:

• Cataracts - extremely common, particularly in people aged 60+. A cataract causes the lens of your eye to become cloudy, which stops light from passing through it correctly.
• Glaucoma - a long-term condition involving damage to the optic nerve caused by raised pressure inside the eye
• Dry eyes – also very common as we age, can cause burning and grittiness, or fluctuating vision
• Blepharitis – inflammation of the eyelids, causing itchy and swollen eyelids
• General ‘lumps and bumps’ around the eye and eyelids – such as a stye
• Inflammation – such as uveitis (inflammation of the middle layer in the eye) and conjunctivitis
• Eyelid problems – if your eyelids droop, they may overhang your eye and reduce your vision
• Posterior vitreous detachment – when the jelly at the back of the eye liquefies and detaches, causing floaters
• Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – affects the retina. There are two types, ‘wet’ and ‘dry’. ‘Wet’ occurs more quickly, over weeks or months.
• Diabetic retinopathy – a complication of diabetes that affects the blood supply to the retina. If left untreated, it can eventually cause blindness.

A number of eye conditions cannot be cured, but their symptoms can often be managed, and vision improved or corrected. Your consultant will be able to advise you on suitable treatment options for your particular condition.

• Cataracts will get worse over time, so earlier treatment is advisable. This is normally with minimally invasive surgery, where a small incision is made into the eye and the natural lens removed and replaced with an artificial one. One of the benefits of private cataract surgery is that the flexibility in lenses used. Rather than just a monofocal lens which provides a single point of vision, you will be able to choose bespoke lenses to allow your eye to focus on both near and distant objects. Cataract surgery is a quick, simple operation with life-changing benefits, giving people back clear vision once more
• If you would like to stop relying on glasses or contact lenses for vision correction, refractive lens surgery (also known as lens exchange surgery) can be done to replace the natural lens with an artificial one tailored to your specific vision correction requirements. These may be multifocal or trifocal. Alternatively, laser refractive surgery can be carried out to reshape the front surface of the eye (the cornea) to improve vision.
• Dry eyes, blepharitis and conjunctivitis can often be successfully treated with medication like eye drops or antibiotic ointment.
• Eye drops or laser may to help lower pressure in the eye caused by glaucoma. If this isn’t as effective as needed, corrective surgery may be needed. A trabeculectomy is sometimes needed to drain some of the fluid in the eye to lower the pressure. Although this surgery won’t restore or improve your vision, it can help stop further damage to the optic nerve.
• If diabetic retinopathy is affecting vision, treatment may be laser treatment (photocoagulation), injections into the eye or by surgery.
• While there is no cure for age-related macular degeneration, treatments such as a vascular endothelial growth factor antagonist (VEGF) injections may stabilize the condition.
• If sagging upper eyelids are affecting your vision, ptosis surgery can be carried out to tighten the muscles that support the eyelid.

Whatever symptoms you may have, our experienced consultants are here to help you. They will oversee every aspect of your care and carefully monitor results of any treatment to ensure you always receive the most appropriate support.

Some eye treatments can be carried out on-site here at Bishops Wood Hospital, while others will be arranged for you outside the hospital.

When you first meet your Consultant Ophthalmologist, they will talk with you about any symptoms you have and then carry out a detailed examination of your eyes (this is known as an ophthalmologic examination), to check your current vision and the health of your eyes. They may also take measurements of your eye.

In many cases, this will be all that is needed to make a diagnosis. Your consultant will then explain the results to you, discuss suitable treatment options and answer any questions you may have.

In other cases, further tests may be required. These may include:

• Visual field test
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT)
• CT or MRI scan

Some investigations can be carried out in the hospital, while others may require referral outside the hospital. Rest assured, your consultant will arrange any tests required to obtain an accurate diagnosis and to plan the best treatment.

When the results of any investigations are back, your consultant meet with you again to talk through them with you and to explore treatment options for your specific vision requirements.

Many of our patients are fairly local to Northwood, while others travel from other parts of Middlesex for treatment. Due to our excellent road links, we also see patients from further afield as well, including Aylesbury and Luton.

Many people are referred by their optician, GP or private medical insurance provider. Others come to us following word-of-mouth recommendation from a friend or family member. We treat private medical insurance and self-pay patients, and you can self-refer to avoid delay.

When you visit Bishops Wood Hospital for help with your eye condition, you will benefit from:

• Rapid access to an expert – Many conditions affecting the eye, such as AMD, are best treated at the earliest possible stage. To avoid delay in accessing the help you need, we can arrange an appointment for you with an experienced consultant quickly.
• Patient Satisfaction – In an independent survey, 94.1% of patients said they were likely or highly likely to recommend us to their friends and family.
• Personalised care – Eye treatment always requires a tailored approach. Your consultant will ensure your treatment is exactly right for you and your needs.
• Convenient appointments – It is easy to book an Ophthalmology appointment. We are also able to offer remote consultations by telephone or video if required (and where clinically appropriate).
• A friendly welcome – Many people tell us how much they appreciate the calmer, quieter feel of our hospital. As a smaller hospital, our friendly staff all know one another. Unlike some larger hospitals, you will never have to worry about getting lost or not knowing who to ask for help or directions!
• Location – Bishops Wood Hospital is located in the grounds of Mount Vernon Hospital and easily accessible by private or public transport. Our car park is free for patients and visitors when you register your car with us at Reception upon arrival.

If you have any concerns about your eyes or eyesight, why not book a consultation with one of our experienced Consultant Ophthalmologists?