We provide comprehensive secondary eye (ophthalmic) services, both emergency and routine, for adults and children in Leeds and a tertiary eye service for other areas of Yorkshire and beyond.
The department has a large multi-professional eye care team and a range of highly specialised equipment. We are able to diagnose, investigate, treat and operate (where necessary) on a range of eye conditions, including complex eye diseases.
We are actively involved in clinical research and you may be asked about taking part in a research project. There is more information about clinical research on the National Institute for Health and Care Research Website.
A team of Ophthalmologists, Specialist Optometrists, Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs) and nurses provide Acute Referral (Eye Casualty) clinics at the main Eye clinic based at St. James’s University Hospital.
The Acute referral (Eye Casualty) Service is for patients with eye problems which are either Accidents or Emergencies; if you feel your condition is not this urgent please arrange an appointment with your GP or see your own optician who can refer you if necessary. NHS direct can be contacted if you are unsure whether your condition is an emergency or not.
The Consultant Ophthalmologist lead for this service is Mr John Buchan.
How do I make an appointment with this service?
To be seen in the clinic you must usually be referred by your GP, or your community optometrist for an acute eye problem.
Clinics
Acute referral or eye casualty clinics normally run every weekday, in the mornings and afternoons in the main Eye clinic at St. James’s University Hospital. Patients requiring assessment out of hours will normally be seen by the Ophthalmologist on call.
Waiting times
Please be aware that as this is an acute service you can wait up to four hours to be seen from the time you book in for your appointment.
Ophthalmologists and Specialist Optometrists assess and manage patients in the Anterior eye (Corneal) clinics.
The anterior segment clinic sees patients with conditions that affect the cornea (the transparent front structure of the eye), the conjunctiva (the clear mucous membrane covering the white part of the eye) and the front structures of the eye including the iris and lens.
Specialist Optometrists involved in these clinics have either a further qualification in Independent prescribing or a therapeutic prescribing qualification. There is more information on non medical prescribing on our non medical prescribing web page
The Anterior segment Consultant Ophthalmologists are Miss Seema Anand, Mr Ahmed Bardan and Mr David Dunleavy.
How do I make an appointment with this service?
To be seen in the clinic you must usually be referred by your GP, optometrist or ophthalmologist.
Clinics
These clinics run throughout the week in the main Eye clinic at St. James’s University Hospital.
Waiting times
Please be aware that you may have a series of examinations from a range of clinicians and your appointment may take up to two hours to be completed from the time your appointment is booked.
Patient leaflets
Cataract surgery
Cataract surgery involves replacing the cloudy lens inside your eye with an artificial one.
It has a high success rate in improving your eyesight.
It can take 2 to 6 weeks to fully recover from cataract surgery.
What are cataracts?
Cataracts are when the lens of your eye, a small transparent disc, develops cloudy patches.
When we’re young, our lenses are usually like clear glass, allowing us to see through them.
As we get older they start to become frosted, like bathroom glass, and begin to limit our vision.
Cataracts most commonly affect adults as a result of ageing.
Do you need surgery?
If you have cataracts, it’s your decision whether or not to go ahead with cataract surgery.
Cataracts usually get slowly worse over time. Surgery to replace the cloudy lens is the only way to improve your eyesight.
Surgery is usually offered on the NHS if your cataracts are affecting your eyesight and quality of life.
The decision to have surgery should not be based solely on your eye test (visual acuity) results.
You may have other personal reasons for deciding to have surgery, such as your daily activities, hobbies and interests.
You can choose to put off having surgery for a while and have regular check-ups to monitor the situation.
There are no medicines or eye drops that have been proven to improve cataracts or stop them getting worse.
Before the operation
Before surgery, you’ll be referred to a specialist eye doctor for an assessment.
During the assessment different measurements will be taken of your eyes and your eyesight.
The assessment is an opportunity to discuss anything to do with your operation, including:
your lens preference, such as near sight or long sight
the risks and benefits of surgery
if you’ll need glasses after surgery
how long you’ll take to fully recover
If you’re used to using one eye for distance and one for reading, which is called monovision, you can ask to stay that way.
This usually means you’ll get a near-sight lens fitted in one eye and a long-sighted lens fitted in the other eye.
The operation
Cataract surgery is a straightforward procedure that usually takes 30 to 45 minutes.
It’s often carried out as day surgery under local anaesthetic and you should be able to go home on the same day.
During the operation, the surgeon will make a tiny cut in your eye to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with a clear plastic one.
With the NHS, you’ll usually be offered monofocal lenses, which have a single point of focus. This means the lens will be fixed for either near or distance vision, but not both.
If you go private, you may be able to choose either a multifocal or an accommodating lens, which allow the eye to focus on both near and distant objects.
Most people will need to wear glasses for some tasks, like reading, after surgery regardless of the type of lens they have fitted.
If you have cataracts in both eyes it may be recommended that both eyes are treated on the same day. This procedure is known as immediate sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS). ISBCS is usually only recommended for people thought to have a low risk of complications. The surgeon will discuss this with you if this is an option.
Otherwise, surgery is done 6 to 12 weeks apart to allow the recovery one eye at a time.
We are able to offer cataract eye surgery for patients who require local or general anaesthetic.
Videos
Ophthalmologists and Specialist Optometrists provide a range of glaucoma clinics within the Trust, to assess and manage patients with glaucoma.
Glaucoma is the name given to a group of eye conditions that cause permanent sight loss by damaging your optic nerve. Glaucoma can be caused by raised eye pressure or a weakness in your optic nerve.
Your eye needs a certain amount of pressure to keep the eyeball healthy and in the right shape. But if the pressure is too high, it can cause your optic nerve to become damaged at the point where it leaves your eye.
Glaucoma clinics supported by the Glaucoma Specialist Optometrists run on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and Thursday mornings alongside the Ophthalmological glaucoma clinic at the Eye clinic at Seacroft Hospital and on Friday mornings at Wharfedale General Hospital. Stand alone glaucoma clinics are provided by Glaucoma Specialist Optometrists on Wednesday afternoons at Wharfedale General Hospital.
The Glaucoma Consultant Ophthalmologists are Mr Peter Galloway, Mr Edward Ridyard and Miss Salina Siddiqui.
Glaucoma Monitoring unit (GMU)
A Glaucoma monitoring unit normally provides clinical measurements of stable glaucoma patients, these clinical measurements are assessed in a virtual management clinic by our Glaucoma Consultant Ophthalmologists.
How do I make an appointment with this service?
To be seen in the clinic you must usually be referred by your GP, or your community optometrist.
Waiting times
Please be aware that you may have a series of examinations from a range of clinicians and your appointment may take up to two hours to be completed from the time your appointment is booked.
Clinics
Glaucoma clinics run on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and Thursday morning and afternoon in the Eye clinic at Seacroft Hospital.
As well as on Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings at Wharfedale Hospital.
Video
The Medical Retina team diagnoses, monitors and treats conditions that affect the lining of the back of the eye, called the retina. Common conditions include age related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion and inherited retinal diseases.
The team comprises Ophthalmologists and non-medical, Retina Specialist Practitioners, Specialist Optometrists and Medical Illustration staff.
When required, treatment options for retinal conditions most often involve laser, drugs and/or surgery. A number of conditions are treated by injections of drugs into the eye itself. These not only help to stabilise vision but can also improve vision in some cases. At present the injection service is located in the Macular Treatment Suite at Seacroft Hospital.
The Medical Retina Consultant Ophthalmologists are Mr Zia Carrim, Mr Martin McKibbin, Miss Aditi Mohla and Mr Raj Mukherjee.
The Medical Retina service is actively involved in clinical research. Please ask if there are any research projects that may be relevant to you.
How do I make an appointment with this service?
To be seen in the clinic you must usually be referred by your GP, optometrist or ophthalmologist.
Clinics
These clinics run throughout the week in the main Eye clinic at St. James’s University Hospital. There are also clinics in the Macular Treatment Suite at Seacroft Hospital.
Waiting times
Please be aware that you may have a series of examinations from a range of clinicians and your appointment may take up to two hours to be completed from the time your appointment is booked.
Video
View My age-related macular degeneration journey (December 2023) video
The Neuro-ophthalmology team diagnoses, monitors and treats conditions that affect the neurological control of the visual system, including vision, control of eye movement and pupillary reflexes.
Patients who are referred to the neuro-ophthalmology department often have other long-term medical conditions.
The team comprises Ophthalmologists, nurses, optometrists, orthoptists and Medical Illustration staff.
Patients attending the clinic will usually have their vision checked, they may need a visual field test, which involves looking at faint dots on a screen. Patients with double vision (diplopia) may need to be assessed by an orthoptist, who is a specialist at assessing and measuring problems with double vision. Patients may need to have eye drops to dilate the pupils, and this can make the vision blurry for a few hours.
Patients should not plan to drive home after a visit to the neuro-ophthalmology clinic. Depending on the findings, patients may need other tests such as photographs of the back of the eyes, a special head scan to look at the nerves behind the eyes, or blood tests.
Treatment depends on the underlying condition. Many patients will be sent on to other specialists such as neurologists, cardiologists, vascular surgeons, or rheumatologists, depending on what the problem is.
The Neuro-ophthalmology Consultant Ophthalmologist is Mr Oliver Backhouse.
How do I make an appointment with this service?
To be seen in the clinic you must usually be referred by your GP, optometrist or ophthalmologist.
Clinics
These clinics run throughout the week in the main Eye clinic, Level 4, Gledhow wing, St. James’s University Hospital.
Waiting times
Please be aware that you may have a series of examinations from a range of clinicians and your appointment may take up to two hours to be completed from the time your appointment is booked.
Ophthalmologists, assess and manage patients with oculoplastic problems in the Oculoplastic clinics.
Oculoplastics is the medical and surgical treatment of conditions affecting the eyes and surrounding areas. These include the eyelids, the lacrimal (tear) system, the orbit (bone cavity around the eye), adjacent periocular (around the eyes) and facial structures and the forehead and cheeks.
Our Oculoplastic surgeons provide many different types of eyelid and facial surgery, ranging from simple eyelid malposition’s to more complex reconstruction involving the eyelids and surrounding forehead, temporal and cheek areas.
Some of the service they provide include:
- Eyelid disorders: Malposition (ectropion, entropion, Blepharoplasty and ptosis), eyelid cancer (Mohs reconstruction surgery), eyelid trauma
- Tear duct problems (Lacrimal): congenital or acquired tear duct obstruction, watery eyes, tear duct injuries.
- Orbital disorders: Thyroid Eye Disease, orbital tumours, orbital trauma
- Anophthalmic socket work: eye removal (enucleation / evisceration / exenteration), orbital implants
- Dry eye clinic: Tests for dry eyes treatment, Blepharitis treatment
The Oculoplastic Consultant Ophthalmologists are Professor Bernard Chang, Mr Nabil El-Hindy, Mr Sreedhar B Jyothi and Mr George Kalantzis.
How do I make an appointment with this service?
To be seen in the clinic you must usually be referred by your GP, optometrist or ophthalmologist.
Clinics
These clinics run throughout the week in the main Eye clinic, Level 4, Gledhow wing, St. James’s University Hospital.
Waiting times
Please be aware that you may have a series of examinations from a range of clinicians and your appointment may take up to two hours to be completed from the time your appointment is booked.
Ophthalmologists, Orthoptists and Specialist Optometrists assess and manage children with eye and visual problems in the Paediatric Ophthalmology clinics.
These problems range from common disorders such as squint (when one eye is not aligned with the other) and lazy eye (when the vision in one eye is reduced because the eye has had a blurred image during childhood and the normal connections have not been made between eye and brain), to more severe conditions which can lead to lifelong poor vision, such as cataract, glaucoma, retinal detachment (particularly as a result of premature birth), and eye tumours.
The Paediatric Consultant Ophthalmologists are Mr Evangelos Drimtzias, Miss Davina Gogi, Mr Ashish Kumar and Mr Vernon Long.
There is more information on the Orthoptic department on the Orthoptic department web pages.
How do I make an appointment with this service?
To be seen in the clinic you must usually be referred by your GP, optometrist or ophthalmologist.
Clinics
These clinics run throughout the week in the Orthoptic and Children’s eye clinic at St. James’s University Hospital (St. James’s Multi Speciality Outpatients).
Waiting times
Please be aware that you may have a series of examinations from a range of clinicians and your appointment may take up to two hours to be completed from the time your appointment is booked.
Ophthalmologists assess and manage patients with uveitis in the Uveitis clinics.
Uveitis is a term which refers to inflammation (swelling) of the middle layer of the eye, called the uvea or uveal tract.
The uvea is made up of the iris (the coloured part of the eye), the ciliary body (the ring of muscle behind the iris), and the choroid (the layer of tissue that supports the retina).
The Uveitis Consultant Ophthalmologists are Mr Oliver Backhouse and Miss Kanchan Bhan.
How do I make an appointment with this service?
To be seen in the clinic you must usually be referred by your GP, optometrist or ophthalmologist.
Clinics
These clinics run on a Monday morning in the main Eye clinic, Level 4, Gledhow wing, St. James’s University Hospital.
Waiting times
Please be aware that you may have a series of examinations from a range of clinicians and your appointment may take up to two hours to be completed from the time your appointment is booked.
Ophthalmologists manage patients in the Vitreo-retinal clinics.
The Vitreo-retinal team investigates and treats conditions at the back of the eye which require surgical intervention.
Vitreo-retinal surgery refers to any operation to treat eye problems involving the retina, macula, and vitreous fluid. These include retinal detachment, macular hole, epiretinal membrane and complications related to diabetic retinopathy.
The Vitreo-retinal Consultant Ophthalmologists are Mr Aws Al-Hity, Miss Fiona Bishop, Mr Zia Carrim, Mr Simon Kolb and Mr Bataung Mokete.
How do I make an appointment with this service?
To be seen in the clinic you must usually be referred by your GP, optometrist or ophthalmologist.
Clinics
These clinics run throughout the week in the main Eye clinic, Level 4, Gledhow wing, St. James’s University Hospital.
Waiting times
Please be aware that you may have a series of examinations from a range of clinicians and your appointment may take up to two hours to be completed from the time your appointment is booked.
The award winning Wetherby Eye Clinic provides a Consultant Led Adult NHS Community Ophthalmology Service, in a unique partnership between Leeds Teaching Hospitals Eye department and Appleson Optometrists, a community optometry practice in Wetherby.
This service is provided by a team of Specialist Optometrists and Consultant Ophthalmologists who also work at Leeds Teaching Hospitals.
Ophthalmologists:
Mr Peter Galloway MBBS, BMedSci, FRCOphth
Prof Bernie Chang BSc, MBChB, FRCSEd (Ophth), FRCOphth
The Wetherby Eye clinics visiting consultant ophthalmologists, Mr Peter Galloway and Professor Bernie Chang, offer monthly clinics, for more complex cases or if assessment for surgery is required.
Feedback: Can be provided direct to referring clinicians, including community optometrists via an nhs.net account
As part of the Leeds Any Qualified Provider ‘AQP’ Ophthalmology network, GPs and community optometrists can refer patients directly for a range of non-urgent eye conditions, allowing patients to be seen closer to home and usually much sooner than waiting for a hospital appointment.
How do I make an appointment with this service?
To be seen in the clinic you would normally be referred by your GP, optometrist or ophthalmologist. Patients must be over 17.
Referral options for GPs and Optometrists
E-refer (C&B): ‘Glaucoma and General Ophthalmology – Wetherby Eye Clinic’
Secure email: [email protected]
Fax: 01937 589848
Post: Wetherby Eye Clinic, 43 Market Place, Wetherby LS22 6LN
There is a form for direct referral to this service for community optometrists
Outside area referrals: Although originally set up for patients within the Leeds (including Wetherby) NHS area, the Wetherby Eye clinic is now able to see patients who are registered with GPs outside the area e.g. Harrogate, York.
The Wetherby Eye clinic cannot offer hospital transport to and from the clinic, although some elderly Wetherby patients are eligible for ‘WiSE’ transport (see www.w-ise.org.uk)
Conditions treated
- Glaucoma/ ocular hypertension
- External eye disease/ blepharitis
- Cysts, chalazions and other eyelid lesions excluding those with malignancy concerns- monthly minor ops clinic available
- Watery and dry eyes
- Non-acute flashes and floaters (i.e. >2 weeks)
- Retinal and optic disc problems excluding emergencies
- Dry age-related macular degeneration
- Non-neurological blurred vision
- Pigmented iris and retinal lesions
- Painful eyes
- Visual field loss
- Other miscellaneous non urgent general ophthalmology conditions
Exclusions
- 16 years of age and under
- Cancer
- Acute visual field loss
- Acute neurological
- Paediatrics
- Strong suspicion of wet ARMD
- Strong suspicion of keratoconus
- Urgent A&E care e.g. red eye/diplopia/acute flashes and floaters/foreign bodies
- Eye motility problems
- Cataract with no other pathology should be referred direct to surgical providers
Clinics
Normally these clinics run throughout the week in the Wetherby Eye Clinic, 43 Market Place, Wetherby LS22 6LN.
There is more information about this service on the Wetherby eye clinic site.
The Ophthalmology and Optometry team provides a YAG laser clinic in the Eye clinic at St. James’s University Hospital.
Ophthalmologists and the Consultant Optometrist carry out unilateral and bilateral posterior capsulotomies for patients who have developed posterior capsular opacification after cataract surgery and unilateral and bilateral peripheral iridotomies for patients at risk of angle closure glaucoma, with the YAG laser.
How do I make an appointment with this service?
To be seen in the YAG clinic you must be referred by your optometrist, GP, or by an ophthalmologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust or another hospital.
Clinics
YAG clinics run throughout the week in the main eye clinic at St. James’s University hospital.
Waiting times
Please be aware that you will have your vision measured and drops instilled in your eyes by a member of the nursing team prior to seeing an ophthalmologist or optometrist and your appointment may take up to two hours to be completed from the time your appointment is booked.
Patient information leaflets