Retinal Treatment at Drayton House Clinic
At the clinic you may require specialised diagnostic procedures:
The clinic also offers specialised retinal treatments:
For more information on this treatment please see:
 Binocular Indirect Ophthalmoscopy
This procedure uses a bright light from a head lamp and a lens that helps the specialist focus on the retina. The light is bright but there is no discomfort. The special lens does not make contact with the eye.
 Three mirror contact lens Biomicroscopy
In this examination a special contact lens is placed on the front of the eye. Local anaesthetic drops are instilled to numb the eye first so the examination should not be uncomfortable.
You will sit in front of a microscope, called a slit lamp. This examination allows the specialist to see a much larger area of the retina as the mirrors act like periscope.
You will need dilating drops for this procedure, it is recommended you do not drive.
Fluorescein Angiography
Fluorescein angiography are diagnostic photographs taken of the back of the eye using a fluorescent dye, to enable our retinal specialist to evaluate the type and severity of the macular disease.
This is not a painful procedure but you may feel a bit queasy. There are a few side effects, some people complain of being dazzled afterwards, the dye can cause a faint yellow tinge in your skin but is soon passed out in your urine, which will be discoloured.
These tests are performed by our retinal team using the latest digital diagnostic equipment.
Retinal Digital Imaging
We have the latest in digital photography available to give accurate and timely diagnosis of your condition.
Photography is used to monitor your eye condition by giving an accurate record of your retina in diabetes. These can be used as a reference in subsequent visits.
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
This is a highly sophisticated scan that can record and measure the retinal structures inside your eye. This enables our retinal specialist to see what is happening with microscopic detail.
These scans provide a detailed diagnosis for age related macular degeneration and other retinal conditions.
This specialised equipment is also used at the clinic to monitor the retinal layers and the optic discs in patients suffering with glaucoma.
For this scan you need to have dilated pupils.
The procedure is not uncomfortable and takes only a few minutes to perform.
Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)
- Is a laser treatment that causes selective destruction of the affected areas without the damage to healthy retinal tissue.
- This laser therapy is used on “wet” macular degeneration. It is medically referred to as choroidal neovasculisation (CNV) (NICE guidelines)
- Treatment can only begin after a thorough diagnosis from our retinal specialist and after a fluorescein angiogram.
- A drug called Veteporfin is injected into a vein in the back of your hand.
- A non thermal laser is then used
- The treatment works by destroying the abnormal blood vessels that grow behind the retina at the back of your eye
- The aim of the treatment is to reduce the potential loss of central vision caused by wet macular degeneration
For more information on Macular Disease and PDT:
Traimcinolone Injection
Traimcinolone is an injection that goes into the jelly part of the eye (the vitreous) It is used for certain types of macular degeneration. It is given by our retinal specialist in theatre. This injection may be repeated every 6 months or at the discretion of the retinal specialist
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