Diagnostic testing

Vitreoretinal

The vitreoretinal team deliver mainly surgical treatments to conditions involving the retina, macula, and vitreous fluid. These include retinal detachment, macular hole, epiretinal membrane and complications related to diabetic retinopathy.

Why choose us?

Multidisciplinary teams

Our expert consultants are supported by specialist nurses, theatre teams, allied health professionals and pharmacists to ensure that you receive the best possible care. Some vitreoretinal conditions are sight threatening emergencies which need to be treated within 24 hours and at Moorfields, everyone in the room is an ophthalmology specialist.

World leading expertise

Our consultants are at the forefront of vitreoretinal research and development as well as being a large centre for teaching the next generation of vitreoretinal ophthalmologists.

State of the art facilities

Our dedicated ophthalmic theatres ensure that whether your surgery is planned or emergency, we have the facilities to ensure you receive the best possible outcome. We also offer the full range of diagnostics in our outpatient departments to ensure you get the right diagnosis first time.

video transcript
Moorfields is a world-renowned eye hospital it's a centre of excellence
both for clinical care and research so patients who come here have access to the most inefficient treatments that there are available.
In order to become a consultant at Moorfields Eye Hospital you have to undergo many years of training and be a lead expert in your field so I'm what's called a vitreoretinal surgeon.
Most people can't believe that eye surgeon could sub-specialize more beyond just the eye but at Moorfields Eye Hospital all of us specialize in a very specific part of the eye and that makes us particular super experts. And that's part of the benefits of coming to Moorfields.
A vitreoretinal condition is a disease that affects both the vitreous which is the jelly that fills the inside cavity of your eye and the retina which is the nerve layer that provides vision and lines the inside wall of your eye. So patients who have retinal conditions may complain of reduced vision that's not improved with their glasses.
Another common symptoms of that are floaters which are little black dots that cast shadow in your vision that you might see for example a bright sunny day or looking against a white wall. That in itself is normal but in some cases patients suddenly notice a real increase in those floaters and that causes concern and they may go and see their optometrist in order to have a look at that and after that examination they may suggest that you would benefit from seeing a vitreoretinal specialist. 
Patients who come for a vitreoretinal appointment will often be here for some time. That can be frustrating but the reason why that is is that there are a number of tests that we like to do for patients when they come.
So they will be assessed first by a nurse in order to document their vision and their pressure and after that we will need to dilate
patients which take some time where we put drops in your eyes to ensure that your pupil dilates so that we can examine your eye fully at the time of the appointment.
We will also offer you a number of tests that may help us to provide the the full diagnosis at the time of your appointment so patients can expect to be with us for one to two hours when they attend for an
appointment.
One of the great advantages of Moorfields Eye Hospital is that due to
our size we see many many eye conditions. What that means is the patients who come here will have access to consultants
who've seen many unusual conditions and that will help in their diagnosis and treatment.
We always provide the latest treatments and equipment and we always ensure that through engaging with our clinicians that we update these regularly and make sure that we continue to be at the lead and forefront of treating patients.
I think GPs and optometrists can be reassured that when they refer a patient to Moorfields Eye Hospital that they are going to access some of the best care in the world for their patients.
At Moorfields we pride ourselves in taking care of patients and putting patients at the heart of everything we do. We have been in London for over 200 years. We have developed a reputation for being a centre of excellence not only for patient care but also for research and innovation.
Moorfields' reputation as a centre of excellence doesn't just exist in the UK we're internationally renowned for providing innovative treatments to patients. We regularly see patients from a number of different
countries who come to us knowing that we see conditions that are rare and have the ability to treat those.
Our consultants at Moorfields Eye Hospital are part of the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. We are a centre of excellence and have the world leading experts in Ophthalmology practicing here. Not only that at Moorfield's Eye Hospital, we can cater for every single
sub-specialty for Ophthalmology so if you're individual consultant can't deal with the condition that you present with they will know someone who can to find out how we can help you and to book an appointment please call us on 0800 328 3421 or find us online.
I went there really scared and frightened about what was going to happen to me but from the moment that I was there everyone was so friendly and helpful which helped so much. The operation itself was far less traumatic than I imagined and the post-op contact and advice has been second to none.

Verified patient on Doctify seen for retinal detachment, August 2023

Conditions we treat

Epiretinal membrane

A layer of scar tissue that forms over the centre of the retina at the macula.

Flashes and Floaters

A sudden increase of flashes or floaters could indicate a problem with the retina

Macular hole

A hole appears at the middle of the patient’s vision in the centre of the retina.

Retinal detachment

A sight threatening emergency where the retina becomes detached from the wall of the eye

Retinal tear

Can be a precursor to a retinal detachment and should be treated urgently

Contact the new patient team

Call our new patient team

Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm excluding bank holidays for general enquiries or to book an appointment.

0800 328 3421

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