Precise, modern,advanced
Eye services
Cataract Surgery
Over time the natural lens that you are born with becomes cloudy and starts to cause the vision to blur. If untreated this lens opacification leads to progressive worsening of vision and even blindness. This condition is completely treatable by removing the lens using modern sutureless surgery and replacing the lens with an artificial intraocular lens.
Diabetic eye disease
Diabetic eye disease ranges from mild to very severe. All diabetics need to have their eyes screened on an annual basis to pick up diabetic retinopathy or macular oedema (retinal swelling).
The earlier diabetic eye disease is picked up the easier it is to treat. Treatments vary from laser photocoagulation, intravitreal injections or surgery, depending on the severity and course of the disease.
Glaucoma
Raised pressure within the eye causes damage to the optic nerve at the back of the eye. This condition is silent initially so patients are unaware that they have it. The diagnosis is made by measuring the pressure of the eye and closely examining the optic nerve. Once the diagnosis is made it can be treated though a wide range of different treatments including eye drops, laser treatments and surgery.
Pterygium surgery
A Pterygium is a common eye condition, especially in hot, dry areas like the lowveld. This may be a response to your eye’s long-term exposure to sunlight and chronic eye irritation from the dry climate.
Tissue from the surface of the eyes grows onto the cornea and range from small insignificant lumps to severe unsightly sight-threatening growths. Fortunately they are treatable through surgical removal.
Retinal Detachment
The retina is a thin layer of nerve cells that lines the inside of the eye. It is sensitive to light (like the film in a camera) and is necessary for vision. Your retina is detached because one or more holes have developed allowing fluid to pass underneath it. This fluid causes separation of the retina from the underlying supporting and nourishing tissues. There are several types of surgery to repair a detached retina. A simple tear in the retina can be treated with freezing, called cryotherapy, or a laser procedure.
Cornea
Keratoconus is a condition where the cornea weakens, becomes thinner and changes shape. Corneal cross-linking is treatment to prevent the progression of keratoconus and is successful in over 90 per cent of cases.
Ultraviolet light and riboflavin eye drops (vitamin B2) are used to stiffen, or cross-link, the protein fibres in the cornea - it mimics the natural corneal stiffening which occurs with ageing.
Allergies
Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) and atopic keratoconjunctivitis (AKC) are types of allergic eye conditions which cause soreness, itching, redness of the eyes and eyelids and occasionally blurry vision. The conditions are very similar to eczema but affect the membrane of the eye and inside the eye lids (the conjunctiva) instead of the skin.
Like eczema, it can continue for some time (months to years) but most young people grow out of it. Anti-allergy drops need to be used regularly every day.
Theatre facilities
Many eye surgeries can be done as day surgeries meaning patients need not sleep the night in hospital. Eye drops and local anaesthetic techniques combined with conscious sedation allows for safe, painless, efficient surgey. Surgeries are performed via a microcsope using fine microsurgical instruments while specialized machinery controls the fluid dynamics with the eye. Cataract surgery is performed through sutureless wounds, using ultrasound energy to emulsify the opacified lens.
Diagnostic Tools
Modern diagnostics tools such as optical coherence tomography, sheimpflug corneal imaging, multicolour fundus photography, fluorescein angiography and many others, have assisted with earlier diagnoses and monitoring of a variety of eye diseases.
At The Nelspruit Eye Institute we strive to harness this technology to assist our patients with efficient diagnoses and accurate monitoring.
It’s not just about seeing, it’s about having vision