"Eye Department"

The way care is provided at the Eye Clinic, Eye Day Care Centre and the Rapid Eye Care Clinic at Maidstone Hospital could be used as a blueprint for other facilities to follow. For quick and thorough diagnosis and effective treatment in good time, while caring for their patients' needs, they are probably unrivalled.

I have two personal experiences in testament to the above:

- an emergency repair of a retinal tear:

I was referred to the Rapid Eye Care Centre at 2.30pm, was thoroughly examined and diagnosed in short order and by 7.30pm the tear had been successfully treated by laser and a follow-up appointment made.

The repair was completely successful

- an operation to perform an epiretinal peel of the macular in one eye: surgeons at the Clinic concluded that this operation would improve a visual distortion in my eye. On the day at the Eye Day Care Centre, preparations were carried out smoothly and efficiently by nursing staff who clearly had their patients' interests uppermost in their minds.

For the operation,

I was fortunate to have a surgical team who carried out the procedure with an unassuming competence verging on panache.

Then back to the care of the staff in the Day Care Centre.

The eye improves daily and I thank all those involved.

We all wish there were fewer ahead in the queue and shorter waits for procedures in the NHS but the Ophthalmologists in their various departments and clinics at Maidstone show just what can be done when only limited resources are to hand.