Vitreoretinal

For the treatment of conditions at the back of the eye which require surgical intervention, especially retinal detachment.

Appointment information020 7566 2700020 7566 2717

Vitreo-retinal

Moorfields Eye Hospital

162 City Road

London

EC1V 2PD

What this service does

The team in this service treats conditions at the back of the eye which require surgical intervention.

Vitreoretinal 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.

We also run a vitreoretinal emergency (VRE) clinic at our main hospital in City Road, which your GP or another referring clinician can send you to if they think that your condition requires more urgent treatment.

How do I make an appointment with this service?

You should see your GP or optician in the first instance. If he or she decides that your eye condition needs to be investigated by more specialist staff, they will arrange for you to have an outpatient appointment with Moorfields or another eyecare provider. If you choose to be treated at Moorfields, we will send you a letter confirming the date, time and location of your appointment with us.

If your GP or another referring clinician thinks that you need a more urgent assessment, they will refer you to our VRE clinic, which is based in our main hospital in City Road and open from 8.30am to 1pm Monday to Friday and 7.30 to 11am at weekends. Outside of these hours, your referring clinician can contact an on-call VR doctor for advice.

On arrival at the VRE clinic, you will be assessed and prioritised for treatment according to the severity of your condition. The VRE clinic is a highly specialised service, which accepts referrals from all over the country, so how long you wait for treatment will depend on how many patients need to be treated and the seriousness of your condition. Be prepared to be in the clinic for the whole morning, and if you need laser treatment or urgent surgery you will need to stay into the afternoon.

The timing of surgery is decided by the Moorfields VR team, not the referring clinician. Following the decision to undergo surgery, you might be advised to return home and we will get in touch to advise you when to come back for the operation.

Other useful contacts

For treatment for urgent, sight-threatening problems and for issues that cannot wait for a routine appointment with your GP, you can come directly to our dedicated A&E department which is based in Moorfields Eye Hospital in London’s City Road. A&E is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

You can also get information and advice on eye conditions and treatments from our telephone helpline, Moorfields Direct, on 020 7566 2345. Staffed by experienced ophthalmic-trained nurses, the helpline is open from 9am to 9pm, Monday to Friday and from 8.30am to 5pm on Saturdays. At busy times, we might not be able to answer your call straight away - please bear with us and call back a little later if this happens.