Emergency eye care

If you need emergency eye care please contact your GP or your optician or optometrist. They will examine your eye and may decide to refer you on to us. The information about your eye condition that they send to us is vital to help us to determine the urgency of your eye condition and to offer you a suitable appointment.

The acute eye service (AES) at Ipswich Hospital is not a walk-in service.  We see and treat patients who have been referred by GPs, opticians and other medical services.  We assess (triage) the referrals they send to us and then offer you an appropriate appointment. The acute eye service is not for general advice on minor conditions or to discuss use of medications or upcoming appointments.

We offer appointments from 9am to 8pm every day, including bank holidays and weekends.

Eye department services

Our eye department provides an extensive range of services for adults and children.  We deal with: 

• cataract and corneal surgery
• diabetic Retinopathy
• DVLA Assessments
• emergency eye conditions
• external eye disease
• fundus fluorescein angiography
• glaucoma
• inflammatory eye disease
• lid surgery
• low visual aids
• medical contact lenses
• medical retina
• ophthalmic laser treatments
• paediatric ophthalmology
• retinal surgery
• squint management
• squint surgery
• tear duct surgery
• visual field testing

More information about conditions of the eye can be found on the NHS website.