Bradford Macula Centre

What we do

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s state-of-the-art macular unit is based a short walk away from St Luke’s Hospital, on Trinity Road, Bradford.

The award-winning unit provides outpatient and day case services to adults and children as well as support and advice to inpatients with a variety of eye conditions.

It features the most sophisticated scanning equipment capable of detecting a number of eye conditions and plays a leading role in maintaining the city’s eye health.

The new centre, which opened in December 2017, allows patients with suspected wet macula degeneration to be seen and treated for this condition quicker, improving the chances of success. Patients can be referred directly to the centre by their opticians via a fast-track referral system.

The team features many different health professionals with specialist eye knowledge. They carry out a range of tests to identify and diagnose eye conditions and carry out ground-breaking treatment.

The Macula Centre is part of the Trust’s Ophthalmology Department, which is home to numerous worldwide clinical trials which are taking the lead in eye-care research.

In 2016, the ‘first class’ work of Bradford Teaching Hospitals’ ophthalmology service was recognised by two prestigious national awards.

The accolades came from the Bayer Awards Programme, which is supported by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and Visionary (a membership organisation for local sight loss charities) and recognise and celebrate the outstanding work being carried out by multi-disciplinary teams in ophthalmology throughout the UK, identifying exceptional initiatives that demonstrate clinical excellence and innovation.

In 2016, a special Judges’ Award was presented to Bradford Royal Infirmary’s Ophthalmology Research Network, part of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, for its work in ‘enhancing patient care through research’.

The Macula Centre’s Macula Service Coordinator, Cara Mitchell, was also presented with the Ophthalmology Unsung Hero award.

What happens when you visit us for the first time?

On arrival at the clinic you will book in at reception and your vision will be assessed by a member of the clinical team and dilating drops administered.

You will be given a wristband with your name and allergy status that needs to be worn for the duration of your appointment, before having scans taken of the back of your eye by the clinical photographer.

You will then be assessed by a consultant, a speciality doctor or one of our optometrist specialists who will decide if further tests are necessary at this visit.

Below you’ll find a list of some of the tests that may be performed. If all tests indicate that treatment is needed the consultant will discuss all options with you and, if you are happy to go ahead, you will be asked to sign a consent form before any treatment begins.

Vision test (Performed at every visit): Vision is recorded by the number of letters patients can read from an illuminated chart
Dilation (Performed at every visit): Your pupils will be dilated at your appointment to provide a clearer view of the back of your eye. Expect your vision to be blurred for a few hours
Ocular coherence tomography (Performed at every visit): A scan of the back of your eye.
Fluorescein angiography (Only performed if requested by the clinician): Fluorescein dye is administered into the bloodstream. This allows the clinical photographer to take photographs of the back of your eye at timed intervals. The photographs will be transmitted to the clinician to assess and a decision made on whether further treatment is necessary
Intravitreal injection (Only performed if requested by the clinician): You will be taken through to our dedicated preparation area, where your details and consent will be confirmed with you to ensure you are happy to go ahead with the procedure. Once checks are completed you will have anaesthetic drops instilled into the eye that is to be injected and also an antiseptic drop. A member of the clinical team will take you into our procedure room for your injection. The injection process usually takes around 10 minutes. After the injection you will be given patient information sheet that will contain all the emergency contact numbers if needed.

When you attend your first appointment please be aware that this visit could take three hours or more due to the tests needed.

We are a self-contained unit so you will not need to go to different departments within the hospital for individual tests.

PLEASE NOTE: There is no canteen facility on site. We have a drinks machine and small snacks available for purchase. Please bring light refreshments with you if you are concerned about the length of your visit to the department.

Eye clinic liaison officer

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has a dedicated eye clinic liaison officer (ECLO), Iftekhar Ahmed, who can provide advice and support for anyone affected by sight loss on topics that can make life easier. They include:

maintaining your independence
equipment and technology that can help you do the things you need to do
eye condition and treatment understanding
access to education, employment, and leisure
benefits and concessions that you may be entitled to

Iftekhar can be found in the Ophthalmology Department and can be contacted on 01274 382 045 or on email at: Iftekhar.Ahmed@rnib.org.uk

For more information on RNIB’s Sight Loss Advice Service, please visit www.rnib.org.uk/advice