Consultant Eye Surgeons Partnership (CESP) North East has invested in specialist equipment to further enhance and streamline cataract patients’ experience at a Newcastle hospital.
A trio of Nuffield Health Newcastle Hospital ophthalmologists, Dr Nicholas Strong, Dr Ayad Shafiq, and Dr Krishnamoorthy Narayanan, the three partners in North East’s CESP, recently invested in a high-tech Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (YAG) laser costing over £30,000.
Cataract surgery is the most commonly performed operation in the UK, each year around 400,000 operations take place in England. Following surgery approximately 5 to 10% of all patients will develop posterior capsular opacification (PCO). PCO occurs as lens cells and scar tissue develop behind the replacement lens and results in the sight deteriorating and becoming cloudy again.
PCO can be corrected easily by a YAG laser capsulotomy. This is a simple and painless outpatient procedure in which the laser creates a gap in the cloudy tissue. YAG capsulotomy results in the restoration of eyesight to its previous level, almost immediately.
Prior to the pandemic, Nuffield Health Newcastle Hospital would refer those needing the YAG laser procedure to a neighbouring hospital, as the site did not have its own laser. This process used to work well, with wait times minimal however due to the ongoing pandemic, waitlists have become longer and the equipment harder to access. Now that the hospital has its own YAG Laser it is possible for patients to be seen and treated at a single visit, often within 10 days of referral.
Dr Strong explained: “Losing your eyesight for any reason is a huge handicap. Many patients with PCO are unable to read, go outside or drive because of their poor eyesight. People who develop PCO can find it incredibly frustrating and difficult to wait and struggle with the loss of their eyesight again. Especially as PCO is a condition that’s corrected easily and quickly.
“What’s important for those who develop PCO, is the ability to correct it and restore vision quickly and this is what influenced us to purchase the YAG laser. Now we have everything under one roof and we are able to see, assess and treat our patients in a single visit.
“This avoids the need for patients to make multiple visits, to different hospitals and means they don’t have to wait for extended periods of time. There is essentially no waiting time and all patients are being offered a date within two weeks”.
Cataracts can affect people of all ages, but are often associated primarily with people of retirement age. It’s estimated that 2.5 million people aged 65 and over in England and Wales have some form of visual impairment caused by cataracts*. Pressure on NHS services due to the pandemic has meant that waiting times for cataract surgery and laser treatment of PCO have gone up dramatically. Many are now deciding to use their health insurance or to pay as they go in order to access treatment as quickly as possible.
Despite the pandemic patients are still able to visit Nuffield Health Newcastle Hospital for cataract and YAG laser procedures. The hospital is following government guidelines, has implemented their own safety measures and is a Covid-19-free-site. CESP emphasise that they are doing everything they can to keep patients and the hospital safe.
When a patient books a YAG laser appointment, they’re sent eyedrops which they can administer themselves prior to the procedure. Previously patients would have the drops administered on site and would be sent to a waiting zone whilst their eye/eyes dilate. The new process means patients are now seen, assessed and treated in a single visit to a consultation room.
Patients and those considering surgery at Nuffield Health Newcastle are being asked to report to the reception desk on arrival and that they do so only 5-10 minutes before their designated time slot. This way the hospital is able to minimise how many people are on site at one time, keep track of where everyone is and ensure that social distancing is adhered to at all times.
Consultant Eye Surgeons Partnership North East is a partnership of ophthalmologists based in Newcastle, with over 50 years of experience as NHS consultants between them. The partnership collectively performs over 1,000 cataract operations per year at Nuffield Health Newcastle Hospital.
For more information on CESP, Nuffield Health Newcastle, cataract surgery and COP visit: https://cataractsurgeonsnewcastle.com/ and/or https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/newcastle-upon-tyne/treatments/cataract-surgery.