Our sight is our gift
As Helen Keller is quoted, “Alone we can do so little, but together we can achieve so much”. The team that cares for your health, and specifically your eye health, has many members and we are all committed to you, our patient. We are privileged to play a role in the care of your eyes and your vision to maintain and improve your daily life.
Allison Deysel, Pietermaritzburg Eye Hospital Manager
Seventy-five percent of all cases of blindness are avoidable, through preventive actions or treatment, which is why learning about how to care for your eyes and making time to prevent what you can is so important. Protect the windows to your soul, look after yourself – you’re worth it!
Prevention doesn’t have to be expensive. Self-care for eyes begins with day to day decisions such as protecting your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays by using UV A & B filtering sunglasses and wide-brimmed sun hats (CANSA approved are best!). These measures slow the formation of cataracts and pterygiums (whitish or yellowish growths of the covering of the inner area of the eye between the pupil and nose). Your eyecare team begins with your pharmacist who can assist with simple advice and easily available affordable options for daily needs such as dry eye and allergy symptoms.
Beyond self-care, your optometrist plays a critical role in assessing your eyes to identify any changes or progression of conditions. Sticking with a healthcare professional you trust is particularly important for continuity of care so that they can compare the eyes to previous examination findings. For members of a medical scheme or life insurance policyholder, the cost of many screening examinations are allocated from a special fund and are not deducted from the savings portion of the fund. Communication with your professional about cost associated with care is important to ensure you benefit optimally from the resources you have available.
Technologies have been developed and designs have been adapted for vision that changes with age. Smartphones, for example, have a range of settings for ease of use including adjustable font sizes for easy reading, a torch for low light conditions and voice control and response. Watches with clean faces and crisp numbers are as elegant as they always were. Camera zoom lenses can bring an image so close that you feel you could reach out and touch it. Similarly, eye care technology and surgical procedures have vastly improved and expanded to improve outcomes and reduce risk of complications. There is so much more we can diagnose and treat now.
General well being and quality of life is maintained when you embrace the tools and use the resources that are available to keep safe, keep active and live life to the fullest.
EXPERT TREATMENT. EXCEPTIONAL CARE.
The Pietermaritzburg Eye Hospital is a specialist facility committed to eye health. Our patient-centric approach combines exceptional care and expert treatment. We examine, diagnose and provide treatment through a team of doctors, each with their own area of expertise, who are supported by an experienced nursing team.
Our highly-qualified ophthalmologists have extensive experience in diagnosis and treatment of cataracts, chalazion, diabetic eye disease, eye and eyelid cancers, glaucoma, keratoconus, medical retinal conditions and corneal grafts, ptosis, squint correction, tear-duct disorders, AMD (age-related macular degeneration).
Certain symptoms are considered an eye emergency and require the attention of an ophthalmologist. If you experience any of the following: sudden vision loss, altered eye movements, unexplainable eye pain, visual field loss or a bulging eye, contact an ophthalmologist or call Pietermaritzburg Eye Hospital for advice. We are here to help you, if you have any questions or concerns, please call us on 033 812 2020 or email us on admin@pmbeyehospital.co.za Should you have an after hours emergency, you can call 033 812 2300 to contact the ophthalmologist on call.
