Ophthalmology Procedures to continue during coronavirus pandemic BCU HB

Dear Colleagues,
I hope you are all staying safe and well in these challenging times
For those colleagues that are providing phone triage and WECS Emergency
appointments I now have an update on phone numbers required to refer into
Wrexham Maelor Hospital
Please use 01978725104 Mon-Fri 8am-5pm. Out of hours please use 01978 291100
and ask for on call eye doctor
Central/ Abergele 01745 448330 ext 2443/2440
Bangor 01248 384 384 Ext 5166 Out of hours remains the same as usual
I have also attached a list of " Emergency" procedures that are still being carried out
across BCU at present for you information
We will keep you updated of further developments but as you are aware there are
likely to be changes at short notice
Stay Safe Everyone
Kind Regards
Sian Joesbury
Ophthalmology Procedures to continue during coronavirus pandemic
(Version 1, E Guerin 19/3/2020)
Principle for decision making
• No list can be exhaustive and clinicians to decide on whether to proceed or
not on. Basis for deciding when the procedure does or does not go ahead will
be - will the patient come to permanent harm within the next 3 months from
the development of clinically significant visual loss or pain?
List of procedures
• Vitreoretinal
o Retinal detachment repair
• Medical Retina
o IVT continuing
o Ozurdex for vision threatening uveitis
• Treatment of neovascularisation either by laser, surgery or injection of anti
VEGF. Conditions
o Neovascular glaucoma
o Proliferative retinopathy either from diabetes (most commonly) or other
ischaemic retinopathy
• Glaucoma.

o Patients with acutely high pressure causing pain and / or imminent
visual loss. Procedures that are used include laser and surgical
drainage procedure.
• Cornea.
o Infective keratitis treatment – may require tectonic grafts
o Impending corneal perforation – may require tectonic graft
• Oculoplastics
o Cancers with metastatic potential or about to invade critical periocular
structures (for example the lacrimal apparatus).
o Lid procedures where intervention treats corneal threatening pathology
(for example entropion causing corneal abrasion or ectropion causing
exposure keratopathy).
• General
o Intraocular foreign body
o Penetrating and perforating corneal injury
• Cataract
o To treat phacolytic or phacomorphic glaucoma (where the glaucoma is
going to cause harm within 3 months)
o To enable a fundal view when a patient has a vision threatening
pathology that is hidden by dense cataract.