Ophthalmology in Winchester

At Sarum Road Hospital, our Consultant Ophthalmologists provide expert assessment and treatment for a wide range of eye and vision problems.

They would be delighted to meet with you and help you to access the most suitable treatment for your particular vision needs.

In a healthy eye, light passes through the cornea at the front of the eye, then the clear lens in the middle of the eye and is focused onto the retina at the back of the eyeball.

The retina changes the light energy into electrical impulses, which are then transmitted along the optic nerve to the brain. The brain processes these electrical impulses to give us our sight.

If any of these complex parts or processes is disrupted – whether by injury, disease or as a result of ageing – vision will be affected.

When something affects the normal working of the eye, it can cause certain symptoms. People visit us for help because they are concerned about signs and symptoms like:

• Blurred vision
• Reduced vision
• Glare / dazzle
• Light sensitivity
• Eye pain
• Double vision
• Squints
• Lumps or bumps on the eyelid

When you visit The Sarum Road Hospital for your private eye care appointment, your consultant will thoroughly investigate the cause of your symptoms to determine the cause. Eye conditions that can cause problems in or around the eye include:

• Cataracts – a cataract causes the lens of your eye to become cloudy, which affects light as it passes through it.
• Glaucoma – damage to the optic nerve caused by long-term raised pressure in the eye.
• Dry eyes.
• Blepharitis - itchy / swollen eyelids.
• Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – affects the central part of your vision, causing problems with a number of common things like reading and recognising faces.
• Diabetic retinopathy – a potential complication of diabetes, where the blood supply to the retina is affected. If left untreated, this condition can lead to blindness.
• Lumps and bumps on the eyelid.
• Inflammation.
• Floaters – translucent specks that appear in your field of vision.
• Eyelid problems.
• Squints (strabismus) – eyes pointing in different directions, causing double vision.

While a number of eye problems cannot be cured, appropriate treatments can often help to manage symptoms and improve or maintain vision. Your consultant will advise you on suitable treatment options for your specific symptoms and condition once they have carried out a comprehensive investigation.

• Cataracts will not resolve themselves and will often only get worse over time. If your vision has been noticeably affected, cataract surgery can be carried out. A very small cut is made into the eye so that the natural (cloudy) lens can be removed and replaced with a clear, artificial one. Cataract surgery can be a life-changing operation for many people, giving them clear sight back once again.
• Dry eyes and inflammation such as blepharitis and conjunctivitis can usually be effectively treated with eye drops and other measures such as hot compresses to the eyelids.
• Glaucoma is often treated in stages, with the first approach being eye drops to lower the pressure inside the eye. This is often all that is needed, but sometimes surgery known as a trabeculectomy may be needed to drain some of the fluid in your eye to lower the pressure. Whichever treatment is used will help to prevent further damage to the optic nerve in the future, but unfortunately will not undo any damage that has already been caused to it.
• Squints in adults, and various lumps and bumps on the eyelid, will often require surgery.
• Diabetic retinopathy* may be treated by laser, injections into the eye or by surgery.
• While there is no cure for age-related macular degeneration*, modern treatments such as a vascular endothelial growth factor antagonist (anti-VEGF) injection can often help to slow its progress.

Whatever symptoms you may have, the highly experienced consultants at The Sarum Road Hospital will oversee every aspect of your care, tailoring treatment to your specific needs and what is best for you.

* Please note that at Sarum Road Hospital, we do not provide laser eye surgery

When you meet your consultant at the hospital, they will take a medical history and ask you about your symptoms.

They will carry out an examination of your eyes (this is known as an ophthalmologic examination), to determine your current vision and the health of your eyes. They may use:

• Vision charts
• A slit lamp to examine the surface of the eye using a microscope
• Special eye drops that dilate the pupil to allow clearer examination of the back of the eye

This may be all that is needed to make a diagnosis, in which case your consultant will explain the results with you and answer any questions or concerns you may have. If treatment is needed, they will discuss options with you so that you can make an informed choice about treatment.

In other cases, further investigations may be needed. This may be:

• A special camera to look at the field of vision
• A special camera to look at the structure of the retina and optic nerve
• CT or MRI scan

Once the results of any investigations are back and a diagnosis has been made, treatment will be planned.

At Sarum Road Hospital you can see our Neuro-Ophthalmologist Mr Jasvir Virdee. A neuro-ophthalmologist is a consultant that specialises in disorders relating to the eye and visual pathway involving the brain. This is a specialist area merging ophthalmology and neurology.

A neuro-ophthalmologist sees many conditions including:

•  Visual field defects
• Unexplained visual loss
• Painful eyes
• Double vision
• Optic disc abnormalities
• Nystagmus
• Skull base tumours
• Multiple sclerosis
• Papilloedema/swollen optic nerves
• Myasthenia gravis
• Functional visual loss

Neuro-ophthalmology is a highly specialised diagnostic service. Treatment of swollen or inflamed optic nerves, visual field loss, double vision and monitoring of visually threatening neurological disease are just a few examples of what is offered under neuro-ophthalmology.

Second opinions from other ophthalmologists are often sent to neuro-ophthalmologists.

As the only private hospital in Winchester, we can provide people with private medical insurance and self-pay patients fast access to an expert in eye health for assessment and treatment.

Most of our patients live in Winchester and the surrounding areas, but excellent road access makes it easy to visit us from further afield as well.

People are usually referred to us by their optician or GP, or are recommended to us by a friend or family member.

When you visit The Sarum Road Hospital for help with your eye health, you will benefit from:

• Fast access – Many eye conditions are better treated at the earliest possible stage. We can easily and quickly arrange an appointment for you with an experienced Consultant Ophthalmologist so that you can start any treatment needed as soon as possible.
• Consultant-led care – Your consultant will oversee every aspect of your care, from initial appointment through to treatment planning, treatment and post-treatment review. If any adjustment is needed to your treatment at any stage, this is easily done.
• Easy to book – With five Consultant Ophthalmologists based at the hospital, it is easy to book an appointment at a time that is convenient for you.
• Recommended by our patients – In an independent survey, 99.5% of the people we treated said they were likely or extremely likely to recommend The Sarum Road Hospital to their friends and family.
• Location – The Sarum Road Hospital is just minutes from Winchester city centre, located in a beautiful rural setting on the edge of the Royal Winchester Golf Club.

If you have any concerns about your eye health, whether caused by visual changes, eye pain or lumps around your eye or eyelid, why not book a private eye appointment with one of our experienced specialists to get the help you need without delay?