Eye Health
The Association of Optometrists (AOP) has produced information leaflets designed to help patients recognise and treat eye conditions. The leaflets form part of the Association of Optometrists patient resources – a suite of more than 10 leaflets and videos on eye health including sight-threatening conditions such as age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma.
Moorfields Eye Hospital also produced patient information leaflets for a wide range of eye conditions.
The College of Optometrists has published a series of new videos which show various eye conditions from the patient's point of view. You can view the videos here.
Latest waiting times for cataract first outpatient appointment and cataract surgery
In conjunction with ophthalmology services, the CCG will be providing current waiting times for cataract services, so that patients and referrers to the service have up to date information. These waiting times will be updated monthly.
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Cataract surgery waiting times
The information below is based on eye care provider’s local data which is sent to the CCG, and for the Hospital Trusts this data source has come from the electronic referral system.
Provider Name
Clinic Type i.e. Glaucoma, Diabetic
Average number of weeks from referral received to date of 1st OP appointment
Number of weeks patient added to IPWL to treatment date (this can be taken from previous month data)
SWBH - Birmingham Midlands Eye Centre
Cataracts
52 days
35 weeks
Aspen - Midlands Eye
Cataracts
Limited availability Limited availability
Optegra
Cataracts
3 weeks
6 weeks
Spa Medica
Cataracts
9 weeks
5 weeks
UHB - QE
Cataracts
200 days
73 weeks UHB - Good Hope
Cataracts
71 weeks
3 months (cat 3)
4 months (cat 4)
UHB - Solihull
Cataracts
71 weeks
3 months (cat 3)
4 months (cat 4)
UHB - Heartlands
Cataracts
71 weeks
3 months (cat 3)
4 months (cat 4)
The Westbourne Centre
Cataracts
3 weeks
50 weeks
*Current waiting times for May 2022
Community Medical Ophthalmology Service
Patients registered at a GP practice in Birmingham and Solihull CCG can access the community medical ophthalmology service, being provided by Health Harmonie from a range of location across the area:
- Birmingham South & West - Lordswood Medical Group, 54 Lordswood Road, Harborne, Birmingham, B17 9DB
- Birmingham East & North - Hawthorn Surgery, 331 Birmingham Road, Sutton Coldfield, B72 1DL
- Solihull & Central Birmingham - Sparkhill Primary Care Centre, 856 Stratford Rd, Sparkhill, Birmingham, B11 4BW
- Solihull (Monkspath Surgery) - 27 Farmhouse Way, Shirley, Solihull B90 4EH.
HealthHarmonie can see a range of eye conditions within the community. They will endeavor to see all patients within 14 days of referral and will offer the patient a choice of time and location that is convenient for them. If HealthHarmonie receives a referral for a patient that they are unable to see within the community, they will onward refer the patient to an appropriate provider within 24 hours of its receipt.
COVID-19 Urgent Eyecare Service (CUES)
Patients registered at a GP practice in Birmingham and Solihull CCG, Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG, Dudley CCG, Walsall CCG and Wolverhampton CCG, can access CUES, being provided by Primary Eyecare Services Ltd.
Access to the service is restricted to telephone booking only
This is an NHS-funded service available for patients with recent onset and urgent eye symptoms. Typical presenting symptoms will be a red or painful eye, foreign body, sudden change in vision or flashes and floaters.
- The aim of the service is to provide safe consultations and care via remote or video consultation in order to minimise the need for patient travel and to reduce the risk of infection and transmission.
- Face to Face assessment only when needed.
- It is for people of all ages – adults and children
- Children under 16 years must be accompanied at their appointment by an adult if a face to face appointment is required.
- Patients will be referred to the new service by their GP, pharmacist or optician where appropriate
- Patients can self-refer into the service. Find a practice in Birmingham and Solihull and the surrounding areas, which is participating in CUES.
Consultation outcomes
- The practitioner manages the condition and offers the patient advice and/or prescribes/recommends medication. Management may include a minor clinical procedure e.g. foreign body removal. A remote follow-up consultation may be necessary.
- Referral to eye casualty at the local hospital eye service.
- The condition (and subsequent referral) is non-urgent and is safely delayed until following the pandemic. A further appointment is recommended e.g. 4-6 months.
- The practitioner has concerns that the patient may have a systemic conditionand makes a referral to their GP.
- Patient referred non-urgently for further investigation and/or treatment in line with local referral pathways and protocols. Managing the patient expectations relating to appointment availability in the current pandemic.
- Where appropriate patients given advice on self-care.
For more information:
- Age related macular degeneration leaflet
- Blepharitis leaflet
- Cataracts leaflet
- Children’s eye health leaflet
- Dry eye leaflet
- Flashes and floaters leaflet
- Glaucoma leaflet
- Meibomian gland dysfunction leaflet
New System and assurance framework for eye health system and assurance framework for eye-health (SAFE) – Emergency and Urgent Care
The Clinical Council for Eye Health Commissioning (CCEHC) has published its Emergency and urgent care framework.
This new framework complements the Systems and Assurance Framework for Eye-health (SAFE) on cataract, glaucoma and AMD published in April 2018. It aims at promoting the right commissioning at the system level, so that there is consistency, improved levels of communication and greater integration between services. A strategic systems approach by commissioners is necessary for all these areas to ensure patients are managed by the right person in the right place at the right time.