Eye Clinic for Prince of Wales Hospital

The eye clinic is staffed by:

• Doctors - Specialist Ophthalmologists, Ophthalmology Registrars and Hospital Resident Medical Officer;
• Ophthalmic Nurses
• Orthoptists
• Technical Officers; and
• Clerical and administrative staff.

We work in partnership with your local general practitioner (GP) and both hospital.

If you are new to the eye clinic and have not previously requested an appointment you must have a referral from your local general practitioner (GP) or Optometrist to use our service. They will prepare a written referral for you, which includes a description of the clinical problem.

Please fax, post in the mail or bring the referral letter to our Eye Clinic.

Once we have received your completed referral you will be placed in a wait-list for the next available appointment. When your appointment has been confirmed, we will send you a letter to your home address confirming the date, time and location of your appointment.

Please make sure your referring GP or Optometrist has your current contact details (particularly your address), otherwise we may not be able to contact you with your appointment.

If you are a current patient, please book a follow up appointment at the Eye Clinic reception after your consultation with our Doctor, prior to leaving. 

If we have long waiting times for non-urgent conditions and your need is not urgent (e.g. eye check up for prescription glasses) we may make arrangements for you to visit a different service.

To change or cancel your appointment

If you need to change or cancel your appointment, please contact us as soon as possible on 9382 2261, Monday to Friday 8.00am – 4.30pm. 

Changing your appointment may mean we need to place you back on the wait-list. You may need to wait to 8-12 months for your next appointment.

To help us with your request please provide the following information when making your change or cancellation request:

• Your full name
• Your Medicare number
• Date of birth
• Telephone number
• The date and time of your original appointment.

If you cannot attend and do not notify us in advance, you will not be automatically given another appointment at the Eye Clinic. You will need to return to your GP or Optometrist to arrange a new referral and new appointment with us.

If any of your contact details change please let us know by phone on 9382 2261 or in person at the Eye Clinic reception.

Please remember to bring to your appointment:

• A list of your current medicines to your appointment
• Details of any previous reactions to eye drops
• Details of your past medical history
• Current glasses
• Eye related problems and treatments.

You will be unable to drive home if you are having dilating eye drops during your appointment. If this is the case please arrange alternative transport home after your appointment. 

Your visit to the Eye Clinic may involve these steps:

1. Check-in

Please go to the Eye Clinic reception to check-in. Our administration staff will confirm that your contact details (in particular your address) are up to date on our records. Please do not arrive earlier than 15 minutes prior to your appointment time.

2. Initial eye assessment

After checking-in, you will be asked to wait in the waiting room for your initial eye assessment.

Your eye assessment may involve various staff (eg. Orthoptists and Ophthalmic nurses), who each have differing roles to play in relation to your eye testing. The relevant staff members will introduce themselves to you by name, and describe their role in your eye assessment.

Each time you meet a new staff member we will ask you about any previous adverse reactions you have had to eye drops (if you needed them). Our staff will also ask you to describe your symptoms and your past medical history and also any eye problems and treatments you have had.

Eye assessments often involve the use of eye drops to determine your eye pressure, or to dilate your pupils so that the internal structure of your eyes can be examined. This can take up to 20 minutes to take effect.

You may need a number of tests and need to wait on the availability of the specialised equipment that we use and the availability of staff to perform these tests for you.

3. Eye consultation

After the eye assessment has been performed, you will be seen by the Ophthalmology Consultant or Registrar doctor to discuss your symptoms and treatment.  

4. Booking follow-up appointment (if required)

After meeting with the Ophthalmology Consultant or Registrar doctor you may need to go to the Eye Clinic Reception desk to book a follow-up appointment before leaving the clinic.

5. Going home

We recommend you organise someone else to drive you home. If you are given dilating drops your eyesight can be blurred and you will be more sensitive to light for a few hours.

A visit to our eye clinic can often take several hours. Please do not check-in earlier than 15 minutes prior to your appointment time. 

Our services are shared between eye clinic outpatients, hospital inpatients, emergencies in our Emergency Department, operating theatres and other services. We always treat patients on the basis of clinical urgency and at times our medical staff may be called away to attend urgent cases. If there is a delay we will let you know when you check-in. Occasionally, we may need to reschedule your appointment.

We appreciate your patience in circumstances where wait-times are longer than expected.

If you are told you will need to continue to use eye drops after leaving our clinic you will be given an initial supply plus a prescription to get more from your pharmacy. If you need further prescriptions, you will need to organise this with your local GP.  We suggest you take an eye drop bottle with you to show them.

Sometimes it can take several weeks before your GP and/or Optometrist (who referred you to the Eye Clinic) receives the letter explaining your visit to our clinic. explaining your diagnosis, treatment plan and follow up arrangements. It is important for you to understand your eye condition, the treatment required, and follow up arrangements prior to leaving our clinic.

If you experience an unexpected or urgent eye problem between appointments, please contact:

• The Eye Clinic on 9382 2261 (Press option 2, then 4), during our opening hours, or
• Your General Practitioner or Optometrist, or
• The nearest Hospital Emergency Department (if an emergency).

Please let us know at least 30 days before your appointment if you need an interpreter. You can contact us telephoning the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 131 450. Tell the operator what language you speak and then ask the interpreter to set up a telephone conversation between you, an interpreter, and the healthcare professional you want to speak with.

We are teaching hospital and you may be asked to be involved in research or for a student to be present at your appointment. You have a right to say no. If you do so, this will no impact in any way on the services we will provide.

We appreciate your feedback. If you would like to give us feedback on our services please complete a feedback form when you come to an appointment.