Before Your Consultation You Should:

Bring a list of all prescribed medication that you are taking so you are able to complete the Personal Information Sheet.

Bring along your reading and distance glasses (if worn).

Please be aware that a nurse will dilate your pupils before your consultation as Prof. Stanga will need to examine your eyes fully dilated. This normally takes between 10-30 minutes and can take longer in patients with dark irises.

The appointment structure will depend on your clinical needs; therefore Prof. Stanga may see you before or after your dilating drops.

You may wish to be accompanied to the consultation as you will not be able to drive with dilated eyes until your vision has returned to normal.

During Your Consultation

During your Initial Consultation, Prof. Stanga will:

  1. Examine the retina up to the ora-serrata (edge of the retina) to rule out any lesions that require treatment/monitoring.
  2. Rule out lesions that can predispose the patient to suffer from Retinal Tears or Retinal Detachment.
  3. Establish whether the Vitreous is attached or not, as the risk of Retinal Tears and of Retinal Detachment decreases after the Vitreous is detached.
  4. Carry out a Macular examination.

N.B.:

  1. Standard Ophthalmic examination with Slit-Lamp Biomicroscopy (a microscope placed in front of the patient’s face and on which the patient rests the chin and forehead while the eye doctor holds in front of the eye a lens that allows to see inside it) only allows partial visualization of the retina. Even adding Indirect Ophthalmoscopy (a scope with a light placed on the doctor’s head while the eye doctor holds in front of the patient’s eye a lens that allows to see inside it) to the examination does not allow visualization of the entire retina. The only way to visualize the retina up to its edge (Ora Serrata) is to perform Indirect Ophthalmoscopy with 360 degrees Scleral Indentation (application of light pressure on the eyelid skin). To increase patient comfort during Indirect Ophthalmoscopy, Prof. Stanga prefers to perform this test with the patient lying on their back on a couch.
  2. Indirect Ophthalmoscopy with Scleral Indentation is a test generally not done at A&E Services.

The £650 cost of the vitreoretinal examination includes several or all, of the following:

  • Slit-Lamp Biomicroscopy
  • Indirect Ophthalmoscopy with 360-degree Scleral Indentation
  • Ultra-Wide field multi-wavelength retinal scanning
  • Ultra-Wide-field Fundus Autofluorescence
  • Wide field OCT cross-sectional and 3-D scanning
  • Wide field OCT Angiography 2 and and 3-D scanning
  • Infrared Swept-Source OCT cross-sectional and 3-D scanning
  • Infrared Swept-Source OCT Angiography 2 and 3-D scanning

Prof. Stanga discusses with the patient the results of the examination and the patient subsequently receives a letter with all findings included in the patient’s Electronic Medical Record at The Retina Clinic London.

All patients receive the following warning and have the clinic’s in and out of hours contact details: “any of the discussed symptoms such as a change in/new floaters, flashes of light, loss of visual field, loss of central vision or distortion of central vision need to be reported as an emergency”.