{"id":42589,"date":"2025-03-10T16:19:37","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T16:19:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mylocaloptician.co.uk\/?p=23154"},"modified":"2025-03-10T16:19:37","modified_gmt":"2025-03-10T16:19:37","slug":"optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\/","title":{"rendered":"Optegra launches pioneering cataract treatment for NHS patients"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/h2>\n

Optegra launches pioneering cataract treatment for NHS patients<\/strong><\/h2>\n

NHS patients at specialist eye hospital group\u00a0Optegra Eye Hospital Hampshire<\/a> have reaped the benefits of a unique approach to cataract surgery demonstrating how the independent sector can innovate to help lead the way in patient care. And the outcomes have been outstanding \u2013 both medically and in patient satisfaction.<\/p>\n

For the first time ever in the UK, and possibly the world, Optegra has offered NHS patients a pioneering \u201ctreble\u201d of cataract care:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. revolutionary drop-free surgery;<\/li>\n
  2. providing pre-op consultation and treatment on the same day;<\/li>\n
  3. bilateral surgery \u2013 both eyes treated within the same procedure.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    While each of these elements have been successfully carried out before and medically evidenced individually, Optegra is the first to offer all three to patients at one time.<\/p>\n

    Optegra aims to roll-out drop-free surgery to all its NHS patients in the UK in the coming weeks.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Optegra Medical Director and consultant ophthalmic surgeon, Mr. Alastair Stuart, explains: \u201cThis trial at our Hampshire hospital is our latest approach in putting patients\u2019 care and experience as well as outcomes at the very centre of what we do.<\/p>\n

    \u201cFor many years now we have been providing high-volume cataract surgeries for the NHS with the lowest complication rates, but we don\u2019t want to stand still.\u00a0 We are always looking at ways to innovate and improve our care for patients, and this approach has delivered the ultimate in convenience, as well as a medical advance which really is outstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Mr. Stuart explains the three elements in this pioneering approach:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u201cNormally after a cataract removal procedure, patients leave with a rather intense drop regime.\u00a0 They have four different types of drops which they need to take three or four times a day, up to four weeks.\u00a0 This is quite a commitment and hassle for patients \u2013 in fact it is typically the only thing some patients have difficulty with!\u00a0 They can sting and can be hard to administer particularly for older patients.\u00a0 Now, due to medical advances, we are now able to apply a steroid injection as part of the surgical procedure, which eliminates the need for any drops whatsoever. This is revolutionary for patients\u2019 post-operative care.<\/p>\n

    \u201cOn top of this, we have provided treatment for both eyes on the same day.\u00a0 While we do this regularly for private patients and so have a wealth of medical evidence showing how effective this is, and how well this is received, the normal pathway for NHS patients is to have one eye treated and then return several weeks later for the second eye.\u00a0 The downside of this, particularly for patients with strong prescriptions, is the imbalance between the two eyes in those interim weeks \u2013 it can be quite uncomfortable and make people feel unsteady when one eye has perfectly clear vision having been operated on, and the other is still cloudy.\u00a0 By treating both eyes on one day \u2013 bilateral surgery \u2013 the patient leaves with excellent vision in both eyes, which immediately decreases risks of falls etc.<\/p>\n

    \u201cAny finally we are always looking at convenience in the patient experience.\u00a0 By completing the pre-operative diagnostic tests and consultation on the same day of treatment, patients have been delighted to reduce the number of visits to the hospital \u2013 especially if they have some distance to travel and having to rely on friends or family to be available also, as the patient cannot drive themselves home.\u201d<\/p>\n

    The patients who participated in this trial at Optegra Eye Hospital Hampshire were delighted with the care they received.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Jim Hayles, 70, from Southampton has had cataracts for years but wears glasses with a reading lens in one eye and distance in his other and noticed his vision becoming very blurry.<\/p>\n

    He said: \u201cI feel in very safe hands it is so professionally run here. When I was speaking to the surgeon he was saying about possibly having the tests and both eyes treated at the same time. And I thought \u2018brilliant\u2019, because I was worried about the fact that if I had only one eye treated, with my prescription levels, I would have trouble seeing while waiting for my second op.\u00a0 So two eyes at same time means I do not have to worry about having two ops and two lots of everything, so yes, that\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    And regarding the drop-free treatment, patient Maria Walmsey, 78, from Waterlooville said: \u201cI understand that previously drops were always administered to keep the eye free from bacteria. And it has all been explained to me that they do a steroid injection in the eye. So that is amazing. It saves about four weeks of drops and remembering to do them. It avoids all that inconvenience, so I couldn’t be happier.\u201d<\/p>\n

    While each individual element of this unique \u201ctreble\u201d has its own published medical research and backing, Optegra wanted to push the boundaries and so this is the first time that all three have been combined in the UK.<\/p>\n

    Mr Stuart concluded: \u201cThe post-op checks in the week following the procedures were excellent.\u00a0 No patients experienced any issues, and all eyes were settling well. The patients all gave positive feedback and were thrilled with the experience, which is very encouraging.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Optegra has increased its cataract care vastly in recent years. Prior to Covid it performed 3,000 NHS cataract operations. Last year, over 50,000 treatments were delivered in the UK (and over 170,000 internationally) and due to demand has invested in brand new infrastructure to meet patient need. It has opened 11 dedicated NHS cataract clinics around the UK, bringing this life-changing surgery to more patients, and delivering treatment within just four weeks of referral.<\/p>\n

    This trial is now being reviewed with a view to rolling out drop free NHS cataract surgery across the group\u2019s 17 NHS hospitals and clinics.<\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Revolutionary drop-free surgery; providing pre-op consultation and treatment on the same day; bilateral surgery at Optegra<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28397,"featured_media":21859,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2957],"tags":[2994],"class_list":["post-42589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-vision-news","tag-optegra"],"yoast_head":"\nOptegra launches pioneering cataract treatment for NHS patients - My Local Optician<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For the first time ever in the UK, and possibly the world, Optegra has offered NHS patients a pioneering \u201ctreble\u201d of cataract care:\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Optegra launches pioneering cataract treatment for NHS patients - My Local Optician\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For the first time ever in the UK, and possibly the world, Optegra has offered NHS patients a pioneering \u201ctreble\u201d of cataract care:\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"My Local Optician\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-10T16:19:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bob Hutchinson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Bob Hutchinson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Bob Hutchinson\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e42a8a57cf4636e9996f181656903b81\"},\"headline\":\"Optegra launches pioneering cataract treatment for NHS patients\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-10T16:19:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":967,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"keywords\":[\"Optegra\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Vision News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\\\/\",\"name\":\"Optegra launches pioneering cataract treatment for NHS patients - My Local Optician\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-10T16:19:37+00:00\",\"description\":\"For the first time ever in the UK, and possibly the world, Optegra has offered NHS patients a pioneering \u201ctreble\u201d of cataract care:\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Optegra launches pioneering cataract treatment for NHS patients\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/\",\"name\":\"My Local Optician\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"My Local Optician\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/my-local-optician.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/my-local-optician.png\",\"width\":274,\"height\":105,\"caption\":\"My Local Optician\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e42a8a57cf4636e9996f181656903b81\",\"name\":\"Bob Hutchinson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Bob Hutchinson\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bedotdev.com\\\/mylocaloptician\\\/profile\\\/bob-hutchinson\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Optegra launches pioneering cataract treatment for NHS patients - My Local Optician","description":"For the first time ever in the UK, and possibly the world, Optegra has offered NHS patients a pioneering \u201ctreble\u201d of cataract care:","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Optegra launches pioneering cataract treatment for NHS patients - My Local Optician","og_description":"For the first time ever in the UK, and possibly the world, Optegra has offered NHS patients a pioneering \u201ctreble\u201d of cataract care:","og_url":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\/","og_site_name":"My Local Optician","article_published_time":"2025-03-10T16:19:37+00:00","author":"Bob Hutchinson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Bob Hutchinson","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\/"},"author":{"name":"Bob Hutchinson","@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/#\/schema\/person\/e42a8a57cf4636e9996f181656903b81"},"headline":"Optegra launches pioneering cataract treatment for NHS patients","datePublished":"2025-03-10T16:19:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\/"},"wordCount":967,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","keywords":["Optegra"],"articleSection":["Vision News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\/","url":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\/","name":"Optegra launches pioneering cataract treatment for NHS patients - My Local Optician","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","datePublished":"2025-03-10T16:19:37+00:00","description":"For the first time ever in the UK, and possibly the world, Optegra has offered NHS patients a pioneering \u201ctreble\u201d of cataract care:","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\/#primaryimage","url":"","contentUrl":""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/optegra-launches-pioneering-cataract-treatment-for-nhs-patients\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Optegra launches pioneering cataract treatment for NHS patients"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/#website","url":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/","name":"My Local Optician","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/#organization","name":"My Local Optician","url":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/my-local-optician.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/my-local-optician.png","width":274,"height":105,"caption":"My Local Optician"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/#\/schema\/person\/e42a8a57cf4636e9996f181656903b81","name":"Bob Hutchinson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Bob Hutchinson"},"url":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/profile\/bob-hutchinson\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28397"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42589"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42589\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/places\/21859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bedotdev.com\/mylocaloptician\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}