At Three Shires Hospital, we have our very own suite offering Ophthalmic Diagnostic Facilities. The specialised technology is able to assess and evaluate damage to your eyes from conditions such as:
Glaucoma
Glaucoma causes damage to the optic nerve where it leaves the eye, and is the commonest cause of irreversible vision loss in people of working age. It is unnoticeable to the sufferer until at a very advanced stage.
Most vision loss is entirely preventable if detected early and Three Shires Hospital has invested in world leading detection and treatment technology. Our Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope enables us to detect disease changes up to five years before
vision loss occurs.
We also offer specialised laser treatment, Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty, which can replace the traditional treatment of daily eye drops.
Age-related macular degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the commonest cause of blindness in people over the age of 55 in the UK. The ‘dry’ form of the disease affects 90% of AMD sufferers. Traditionally, there has been no effective treatment for dry AMD, but a new treatment, the Intra-Ocular Lens for visually impaired people (IOL-Vip) can improve vision for some people with this form of the disease.
During this procedure two artificial lenses are inserted into the eye which magnify and divert images away from the diseased macula to a healthier part of the retina. The IOL-Vip system can also help people with other forms of macular disease.
Patients with macular degeneration can also benefit from our specialist optometry Low Vision service providing devices to use their remaining vision to the best advantage.
Cataracts
A cataract is clouding of the natural lens in your eye, usually caused by ageing, causing blurred vision or a change in the focus of the eye. If the cataract is too advanced, surgery is the only option to restore your vision. This involves removing the cataract and replacing it with an artificial lens implant. Your surgeon will let you know if cataract surgery is suitable for you and recommend the best treatment option for your needs. Cataract surgery can be performed as a day case procedure under local anaesthetic.
Three Shires Hospital also provides Yag Laser treatment to remove membrane clouding the lens following cataract surgery.
Keratoconus
Keratoconus is a disease causing thinning of the cornea, the clear front portion of your eye. As a result of this, the normal outward pressure from within the eye causes the cornea to progressively bulge into a cone-like shape.
Three Shires Hospital offers two new treatments for keratoconus. Collagen cross-linking increases and strengthens the bonds between the natural collagen anchors in the eye, preventing it from bulging further. INTACS, involves silicone inserts placed within the cornea which stretches it and reduces the conical shape, thus improving vision.
Oculoplastics
The oculoplastics, orbital and lacrimal service at Three Shires Hospital involves diagnosis and treatment of problems associated with the area around the eyeballs, including the eyelids as well as the tear drainage system and orbit.
Conditions treated include watery eyes, benign eyelid cysts, in-turned and out-turned eyelids, cosmetic treatment for ageing changes around the eyes, blepharospasm, ptosis (droopy eyelids), thyroid eye disease, and skin cancer affecting the eyelid.
Optometry
Three Shires Hospital now has a comprehensive optometrist service offering sight testing, specialist vocational and occupational health vision reports and low vision care for all visually impaired people.
Refractive ophthalmic procedures
Treatment options enabling the freedom from glasses include:
- Multifocal and Accommodative Lens Implants
The ReSTOR and Crystalens implants replace the lens in your eye to give a distance, intermediate and near vision. They are used in both cataract surgery and lens exchange procedures.
- Conductive Keratoplasty (CK)
This uses gentle radio frequency energy to reshape the cornea of your eye to improve near vision and reduce dependency on reading glasses.
- Phakic Intraocular Lens Implants (implantable contact lenses)
A lens implanted inside your eye to correct your refractive error, for example, astigmatism. These provide excellent vision, are reversible and are an alternative to laser vision correction.