After your hospital appointment

Any treatment that may be necessary - whether this is surgery, laser procedures or medication - will be explained to you. Any questions you have about them should be addressed.

Most people will visit the ophthalmology department more than once. If your eye condition is treated and successfully dealt with then you may be discharged and not have to visit the hospital again. Most eye conditions will need to be monitored over a long period of time (such as glaucoma), and you may have to be seen regularly by your ophthalmologist.

When the eye specialist thinks everything possible has been done to treat your condition, you will be discharged.

Some hospitals may give you a direct telephone number that you can use if you experience major changes in your vision in the period between regular appointments.

If you've been discharged but then your sight changes, it's very important to go to your optometrist to check the reason for the change. If it's a sudden change you should get immediate help.

To find out more about your condition, go to our easy-to-read information on the most common eye conditions. If your vision is impaired because of the eye condition you should ask the consultant for a referral to the Low Vision department who might be able to help you with some magnifiers.[LG1]

Find out whether your hospital has an ECLO (Eye Clinic Liaison Officer) as they're able to put you in contact with lots of support for people who have a visual impairment. Alternatively you can call our Helpline for more assistance or find out more about our Sight Loss Counselling service.

If your sight is poor, in many instances, registering as severely sight impaired (blind) and sight impaired (partially sighted) makes it more likely that you will get the help and support you need