Free NHS treatment service for glaucoma patients

MCRJourno

Optegra Eye Hospital Manchester

As January is Glaucoma Awareness Month one Manchester-based eye hospital is launching a free NHS treatment service for glaucoma patients.

With glaucoma being one of the leading causes of blindness for people over the age of 60 Optegra says regular eye health checks are key to protecting your vision.

The free service means that glaucoma patients whose condition has changed can be monitored and reviewed by surgeons and offered treatment.

Robert Petrarca, consultant ophthalmic surgeon and glaucoma lead at Optegra says treatments "can vary from those whose condition is stable and low-risk and are regularly monitored to those with more complex high-risk cases who need surgical intervention."

He continues: "There is a large cohort of patients in the middle who need to be monitored by glaucoma specialists and this is where we can help."

It hopes to reduce waiting times as patients who need to see a specialist but cannot do so at their regular opticians can receive the support they need.

Optegra is based in Didsbury and is capable of treating patients within weeks of a referral from the local optometrist.

Some of the specialist support available includes laser surgery or a stent procedure to drain fluid to relieve pressure.

The practice performs more than 100,000 treatments every year both private and publicly funded.

Glaucoma can be detected in an eye test and while treatment can’t reverse any loss of vision it can help stop vision deteriorating.

Approximately 700,000 people in the UK have glaucoma with many cases undiagnosed due to the lack of symptoms in the early stages.