Many factors can affect the health of your eye, including age-related degeneration, injury, and illnesses such as diabetes.
People usually visit our consultants because they have one of the common symptoms of an eye-related problem:
- Blurred vision
- Reduced vision
- Glare/dazzle
- Colour losing intensity
- Light sensitivity
Many of the people we see with these symptoms are discovered to have cataracts. A cataract turns the lens of your eye cloudy, preventing light being able to pass through correctly. This causes a reduction in vision that cannot be corrected by glasses or contact lenses.
Cataracts are extremely common, becoming more so as we age. Unfortunately, they are not the only problem that can affect our eyes. The Ophthalmology specialists at The Droitwich Spa Hospital regularly also help with the following conditions:
- Glaucoma - a long-term condition involving damage to the optic nerve
- Dry eyes
- Blepharitis - itchy and swollen eyelids
- Conjunctivitis
- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
- ‘Lumps and bumps’ around the eye and eyelids – these are no longer routinely treated on the NHS
- Skin cancer around the eye – this is becoming a major issue post COVID
- Eyelid problems – such as drooping eyelids that overhang the eye and affect vision
Cataracts tend to develop slowly, getting worse over time, so early treatment is always advised. Treatment is normally with minimally invasive surgery. A small incision is made into eye, and the lens removed and replaced with an artificial lens. Cataract surgery is an incredibly successful operation and can be life-changing to many who are thrilled to have their vision restored.
Dry eyes, blepharitis and conjunctivitis can often be treated well with medication (like eye drops), and your consultant will discuss suitable options with you to ensure you see the best relief of your symptoms possible.
Glaucoma can often be treated with eye drops to help lower pressure. Where this doesn’t help, corrective surgery may be needed. There are different ways this can be done, one of which is a trabeculectomy to drain some of the fluid in your eye. Although this surgery doesn’t restore vision, it will prevent further damage to the optic nerve.
If you currently wear glasses and would like to explore alternative options, this can be discussed with your consultant. Refractive lens surgery replaces the natural lens with an artificial one that is tailored to your specific vision correction requirements. This will often reduce dependency on glasses significantly, if not remove it entirely.
If your upper eyelids are sagging and affecting your vision, ptosis surgery can be carried out to lift the eyelids to their normal position and resolve the problem. If it is due to excess eyelid skinfold, this can be surgically treated as well by specialist ophthalmic surgeons.
Whatever eye symptoms you have, the consultants here can help. Treatments are available for many eye conditions to improve vision and the health of the eye. Many of these can be arranged for you with us, while others may need to be arranged off-site.
Your consultant will always outline any suitable options, such as whether or not multi-focal lens or refractive lens surgery will be beneficial to you, in a clear and concise manner to help you make an informed decision on how to proceed with your treatment.
Your consultant will oversee every aspect of your care at each stage, ensuring you always receive the most appropriate treatment for your specific condition.