Ophthalmology (eye care)

  • Specialist eye care for patients of all ages.

  • Address: Maidstone Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital,

What we do

We are the largest specialised eye unit in the south east, serving a total population of 1 million.

Patients needing specialised treatment come from a wide area of Kent, Medway and East Sussex. We cover the sub-specialities of ophthalmology, including:

  • Retinal surgery
  • Medical retina
  • Corneal surgery
  • Uveitis and medical ophthalmology
  • Diabetic eye disease
  • Glaucoma
  • Orbital, plastic and lacrimal surgery
  • Cataract surgery
  • Paediatric ophthalmology
  • Orthoptic and optometry service
  • Adult squint

We work with and support community optometry services to monitor patients with stable glaucoma, wet age-related macular degeneration and certain retinal conditions. We also have close links with the Kent Oncology Centre, Endocrinology, Neurology, Maxillofacial services, Ear Nose and Throat, Immunology and the Kent Association for the Blind.

Our 16 consultant ophthalmic (eye) surgeons each specialise in a particular area of ophthalmology ensuring that there is treatment available for all eye conditions. 

There is a busy emergency service Monday - Friday during normal working hours and an out-of-hours emergency service 7 days a week (by referral only). 

We have the latest diagnostic and surgical technology, which is upgraded on a regular basis. There are plans to expand the facilities and incorporate new technologies to ensure the department offers the very best cutting-edge clinical care in this part of the country.

We are also committed to teaching, training and research, and are the major training unit for postgraduate speciality trainees in Kent Surrey and Sussex.

We also provide teaching to undergraduate medical students from King's College, Guys and St Thomas', and Kent and Medway medical schools.

Fellows in oculoplastics, medical and surgical retina and glaucoma show our commitment to teaching and training at the highest level to create the specialists of the future.

We are also an active and award-winning research centre with many clinical trials completed and several ongoing. A supportive Research and innovation team and a research-orientated approach supports our participation in national and international clinical trials, which are vital in improving treatment and care for patients in the future.

Get in touch

Contact information

Orthoptic department, EEMU (Ear, Eye and Mouth Unit)
Maidstone Hospital
Hermitage Lane
Maidstone ME16 9QQ

Clinics – Monday to Friday
Appointment enquiries –  01622 226236

Eye Unit, Outpatient area Zone 1, Level 0, 
Tunbridge Wells Hospital
Tonbridge Road
Tunbridge Wells TN2 4QJ

Clinics – Monday to Thursday
Appointment enquiries –  01622 228218

Eye Unit, Blue Zone, Level 1, 
Medway Hospital
Windmill Road
Gillingham ME7 5NY

Clinics – Monday to Friday
Appointment enquiries –  01622 228218

Our team

The department is staffed by a multidisciplinary team of consultant ophthalmologists, specialty doctors, specialist nurses, ophthalmic nurses, clinical support workers, eye clinic liaison officers, ophthalmic technicians, optometrists and orthoptists.

Consultants

Emergency Access

Glaucoma

Medical retina

Ocular motility and paediatrics

Oculoplastics

Vitreo-retinal

Associate specialists

  • Mr M Rifaat

Speciality doctors

  • Dr S Haider
  • Dr S Hannan

 

Eye clinic liaison officers

We have two eye clinic liaison officers based in the eye clinics.

They offer support to anyone attending the eye clinic or an inpatient. They also contact people at home if they have not been able to them in clinic.

They offer emotional support, answer questions and can give advice about help available outside the hospital.

They also offer support during consultation or treatment, and assist with the sight impairment registration process, ensuring paperwork is completed and distributed.

They are part of the Kent Association for the Blind Rehabilitation Team, have close links to the services KAB offers, and can signpost to many other services.

Anyone in the eye clinics can refer patients to the Eye Clinic Liaison Service.

Find them in the clinic, or contact Fran Smith (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) on 07773 070313.

Eye clinic appointments

If you notice a change in your eyesight you should see your GP or optician. If they decide your eyes need to be assessed at hospital they will arrange a referral to the department or another eye care provider.

Routine appointments

If you decide to be treated at the trust you may be able to arrange your appointment online. Not all specialties offer this service and you will be sent a letter confirming the date, time and location of your appointment.

Urgent appointments

Maidstone Hospital runs a Rapid Access Clinic for the assessment and treatment of urgent and sight-threatening eye conditions. This is a Monday-Friday service and a referral service.

There are several community optometrists who are specially trained in the care of patients with urgent eye symptoms and form the Community Optometry team. Your GP or optician may refer you to this team, which will avoid a visit to the hospital.

Rapid Access Clinic

If your GP or optician decides you need to be seen urgently they will refer you to the Rapid Access triage team. Once the referral has been triaged and accepted the team will contact you by telephone to arrange an appointment booking-in time (this could be up to a week depending on the severity of your symptoms).

The Rapid Access Clinic can be contacted on 01622 226228. Please leave a message on the answerphone if the team are unable to take your call.

The Rapid Access Clinic is an appointment only service and cannot see walk-in patients. The only walk-in route is via A&E.

Primary Eyecare Acute Referral Service (PEARS)

Dartford

  • Jackie Rothery, Crown House, Home Gardens, Dartford
  • Linklater Opticians, 22 Lowfield Street, Dartford

Faversham

  • Eye Emporium (John High), 8 Market Street, Faversham
  • Optima Opticians, Jacob Yard, Preston Street, Faversham

Gravesend

  • Boots Opticians, 9 Kempthorne Street, Gravesend
  • Boots Opticians, 38 new Road, Gravesend
  • Medical Eye Centre, 14 King Street, Gravesend
  • Specsavers Opticians, 19-20 Thamesgate Centre, Gravesend

Longfield

  • K Rowland Opticians, 79 Station Road, Longfield

Medway

  • Leightons Ltd, 67 Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre, Gillingham, Kent
  • Sanford Opticians, 7 Main Road, Rochester, Kent
  • T J Woolley, 60 Watling Street, Gillingham, Kent
  • Niall O’Kane Optometrists, 78-80 High Street, Strood, Rochester, Kent

Sittingbourne

  • Eye Emporium (John High), 73 High Street, Sittingbourne
  • John Frewin Opticians, 114 High Street, Sittingbourne
  • Specsavers Opticians, Unit 7/8, The Forum, Sittingbourne

Sheerness

  • L Jackson, 3 Southdown Road, Halfway, Sheerness

West Malling

  • Kings Hill Opticians, 2 Liberty Square, Kings Hill

 

Acute Primary Care Ophthalmology Service (APCOS)

If you are registered with a west Kent GP you can visit an APCOS optometrist:

  • Eye 2 Eye Opticians, Unit 8 , Mid Kent Shopping Centre, Castle Road, Allington, Maidstone Tel: 01622 672563
  • Headcorn Eye Centre, 25 High Street, Headcorn Tel: 01622 890044
  • Kent Eye Care Independent Specialist Optometrists and Opticians, 786 London Road, Larkfield, Aylesford Tel: 01732 873378
  • Osborne Harle Optometrists, 1-3 Martin Hardie Way, Tonbridge  Tel: 01732 368678
  • Tenterden Eye Centre, 3 High Street, Tenterden Tel: 01580 765222
  • Tonbridge Medical Group, 3 River Lawn, Tonbridge Tel: 01732 352907

Cataract surgery at Maidstone Hospital

The department carry out up to 6000 cataract surgery procedures a year. Many patients come to clinics experiencing the symptoms of cataracts and are then listed for surgery.

Digital assistant calls for cataract patients

To help more patients and improve cataract care, the department have introduced Dora, an automated telephone assistant which is speaking with patients at key stages of their cataract treatment.

Dora works alongside the clinical team, gathering important health information and answering common questions. You can talk to Dora naturally, just like you would speak to a doctor or nurse. Dora will call eligible patients at different points in their care:

  • Before surgery (pre-operative assessment and pre-surgery) to check important details before your operation.
  • After surgery (post-operative) to monitor recovery and answer questions.

We are one of a number of NHS trusts using this technology to help our team work more efficiently, meaning patients can be seen quicker and more effectively.

What to expect

  • If you have a mobile phone number, you’ll get a text message with the date and time of Dora’s call.
  • Dora will try to call again at different times if needed.
  • You can call Dora yourself at a convenient time, up to 48 hours before your scheduled call.

Patients will receive information about Dora in their appointment letters. Find more information in the Dora FAQs [pdf] 152KB

 

What happens during cataract surgery?

A short video will help you understand what cataracts are and how we carry out the procedure. The video includes information for patients having cataract surgery at Maidstone Hospital.

Optometrists

Optometrists are trained to examine the eyes and measure how they focus. Hospital optometrists are specialists in measuring complex glasses prescriptions in adults and children.

If you are found to be long-sighted, short-sighted or have astigmatism the hospital optometrist will give you a prescription for glasses. You take this prescription to your local optometrist who will make the glasses for you.

The optometrists work as part of a  multi-disciplinary team with the consultant ophthalmologists, orthoptists, ophthalmic technicians, nurses and support workers from the Kent Association for the Blind.

The optometrists hold clinics at Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells and Medway hospitals and aim to see patients in the clinic most convenient for them. Some specialist and adult clinics only run at Maidstone Hospital so this is not always possible.

The optometrists also provide a specialist contact lens service at Maidstone Hospital and an extensive low visual aid service loaning magnifiers to people diagnosed with a visual impairment at the Kent Association for the Blind.

Making an appointment

If you are seeing an ophthalmic practitioner at the trust and they feel you would benefit from an assessment with the hospital optometry service they will refer you.

Orthoptics

Orthoptists are trained to investigate, diagnose and treat eye movement and visual development disorders. This includes squint (strabismus), lazy eye (amblyopia), refractive errors (long sight, short sight and astigmatism) and double vision (diplopia).

Our orthoptists work closely with consultant ophthalmologists, optometrists, ophthalmic technicians and nurses and are part of a multi-disciplinary team including support workers from the Kent Association for the Blind and advisory teachers for children with visual impairment.

There are clinics at Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells and Medway hospitals and the team aim to see patients in the clinic most convenient to them. Some specialist and adult clinics only run at Maidstone Hospital so this is not always possible.

The department have extended specialist training in the assessment of stroke patients, glaucoma, children with visual impairment, children with multiple special needs and people with specific learning disabilities, e.g. visual stress and tracking problems associated with dyslexia.

Making an appointment

If you suspect your child has a squint, reduced vision or lazy eye or you develop double vision you should see your GP or optician. If they decide that your eye condition needs to be investigated by eye specialists they will arrange a referral to the department or another eye care provider. If you choose to be treated by us you will be sent a letter confirming the date, time and location of your appointment.

If your GP or optician decides you need to be seen urgently they will contact the Rapid Access Clinic in the eye unit to discuss your condition with an ophthalmic practitioner.

If your child attends a primary, infant or special school in Kent or Medway they will be offered a routine eye test by the school nursing team during their reception year. If your child fails their school eye test, they will be referred to an eye clinic.

 

Supporting us

The department has received many generous donations from patients and other supporters. This has been used to fund a number of valuable projects including:

  • Research into eyelid cancers
  • Specialist training for some of our staff
  • A television for our waiting areas to improve our patients experience
  • A mobile eye care tonometer for measuring eye pressures
  • Development of OpenEyes software

The Department is always grateful to receive donations and support from our patients and friends. If you are interested in donating please visit the MTW Hospitals Charity website.