Optegra opens new eye clinic in Kent

Optegra has opened its newest eye clinic, in West Malling, Kent.

The clinic, which will offer cataract and vision correction treatment, including NHS cataract surgery, opened on 15 August.

Richard Armitage, NHS Director for Optegra, said: “We have worked closely with the NHS for a decade and since the pandemic this work has really stepped up a gear.

“It is well known that many people across the UK face huge waiting lists due to the backlog of patients awaiting treatment, but in fact ophthalmology is the second largest waiting list.

“Many people are suffering with cataracts, which will just get worse and impact vision, for far longer than they should. The only treatment is surgery, and we are delighted to be able to bring NHS cataract treatment in this specialist clinic to the people of Kent.”

Patients can be referred to the new clinic by their optometrist or GP and could receive treatment within four to six weeks, Armitage said.

The clinic was formally opened by Councillor Matt Boughton, Leader of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, who said he expects it to “help significantly in tackling the ophthalmic waiting lists we see across our community.”

Optegra Eye Clinic Maidstone will initially focus on NHS cataract surgery, before extending its offering to private cataract and vision correction patients in a few months’ time.

A new team

Optegra used the opportunity to introduce the new team that will be running the clinic.

Robert Petrarca, who specialises in cataract and glaucoma surgery and has two decades’ experience in eye health, has joined as the clinic’s consultant ophthalmic surgeon.

Petrarca said that he is “excited to join this new venture and help lead the clinical team in setting up a safe, efficient and patient-friendly cataract service.”

He added: “I look forward to meeting the needs of the region, improving the patient experience and minimising waiting times for this highly successful surgical intervention.”

Petrarca worked in primary eye care as an optometrist, before training in ophthalmology and becoming a fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and the president of the Southern Ophthalmology Society.

He also works within the NHS, at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, and established the South West London Regional Cataract hub during the pandemic, helping to minimise post-COVID-19 waiting lists at the hospital.

The new clinic has also welcomed Aine Rice as its lead optometrist, and Ibrahim Toma as its clinic manager.

Rice has 30 years of experience in optometry, working across NHS hospitals, universities, and community practice. She completed her PhD at the University of Bradford, investigating the genetic basis of strabismus, and has also held a fellowship with Leeds Teaching Hospitals.

She said: “I love the interaction with patients, to help them understand the most suitable treatment, and make recommendations following a definitive treatment pathway, to assist that person and truly improve their quality of life.”

Rice added: “There is so much demand for cataract surgery, it makes such sense to have a dedicated clinic where everyone knows what needs to be done so we can help free up NHS hospital space and enable more and more patients to be treated earlier.”

Toma, the new clinic manager, has worked with Optegra for two and a half years, both as a healthcare technician and then as an outpatient lead at the company’s central London flagship hospital.

He called the opportunity to help to improve patients’ quality of life “fantastic.”