The Department of Ophthalmology is the largest specialised eye unit in the south east of England, serving a total population of 1 million.
There are 16 consultant ophthalmic surgeons each specialising in a particular branch of ophthalmology ensuring that there is treatment available for all eye conditions locally. There is also a busy emergency service from Monday to Friday during normal working hours and an out-of-hours emergency service 7 days a week (referral only).
As well as providing a full and comprehensive general and sub-specialty service, the Department is fully committed to teaching, training and research.
It is the major training unit for postgraduate speciality trainees in the Kent Surrey and Sussex region. It also has responsibilities to provide teaching to undergraduate medical students of King’s College , Guys and St Thomas’ and Kent and Medway medical schools.
With so much specialised surgery being offered by highly experienced consultant surgeons, there is ample opportunity for higher specialty trainees/fellows to hone their diagnostic and surgical skills in preparation to become consultants.
Currently, there are Fellows in Oculoplastics, Medical and Surgical Retina and Glaucoma with plans for more, demonstrating the department’s commitment to teaching and training at the highest level to create the specialists of the future.
The Department of Ophthalmology is also a very active and award-winning research centre with many clinical trials completed and several ongoing. A very supportive Research and Innovation team combined with a healthy research-orientated ethos within the Trust supports the completion of many important national and international clinical trials which are vital in providing us with information to further improve the treatment and care of our patients.
The Department of Ophthalmology is fully equipped with all the latest diagnostic and surgical technology, which is upgraded on a regular basis. There are plans to expand the facilities and to incorporate new technologies to ensure that our department offers the very best cutting edge clinical care in this part of the UK.
Supporting us
The Ophthalmology service has been fortunate enough to have funds generously donated by patients and other supporters. This money has been used to fund a number of valuable projects including:
- Research into eyelid cancers
- Provide specialist training for some of our staff
- Purchase a television for our waiting areas to improve our patients experience
- Purchase a mobile eye care tonometer for measuring eye pressures
- Development of OpenEyes software
The Service is always grateful to receive donations and support from our patients and friends. If you are interested in donating to the Department please visit the Trust’s fundraising page.