CHEC, a community healthcare provider delivering specialist ophthalmology services in partnership with the NHS has announced it is now offering innovative vitreoretinal surgery service from some of its hospitals.

The specialised field of ophthalmology focuses on treating a range of diseases and conditions affecting the retina and vitreous of the eye, including epiretinal membranes (ERM) and macular holes, both of which dramatically reduce a person’s ability to live independently. 

CHEC has launched the vitreoretinal surgery service from its Trafford and Stockport hospitals and plans to expand it across more sites in coming months, to improve access and convenience for patients undergoing the life-changing surgery. CHEC’s state of the art hospitals are equipped with the latest ophthalmology technology including advanced imaging systems and the latest surgical tools, with a dedicated team of specialist consultants and highly trained support staff ensuring the highest standards of vitreoretinal care, before, during and after the procedure.

In 2023/24, CHEC treated more than 372,000 ophthalmology patients with an average wait time of less than four weeks.

Mahmoud Rabie, Clinical Director for Ophthalmology and Consultant Ophthalmologist for CHEC, said: “ERM and macular holes create blurred and wavy vision, and dark spots, making it difficult to conduct basic tasks like recognising faces, reading and driving and ultimately affecting the wellbeing of patients. Despite the complexity of these conditions, many patients experience delayed care due to hospital backlogs, which can affect the clinical prognosis and increase the vision loss. Even though this is such a specialised field of ophthalmology, procedures last approximately one hour and require only local anaesthesia, meaning patients can have their lives transformed quickly and notice great results within a matter of weeks, with a speedier return to normal life. As well as our industry-leading technologies, our team of surgeons and dedicated support staff are committed to providing exceptional treatment while patients are with us, and offer all the advice they need to aid their recovery. We’re pleased to now offer these highly specialised services to the communities of Trafford and Stockport, helping improve their quality of life. We’ve received remarkable feedback from patients who are thrilled with the outcome of their surgery, so look forward to rolling the service out nationally in due course.”

For more information, visit CHEC’s Vitreoretinal surgery page.