We are the combination of four hospitals: the General Hospital, the Children’s Hospital, the Women’s Hospital and the Traumatology, Rehabilitation and Burns Hospital. We are part of the Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus: a world-leading health park where healthcare plays a crucial role.
Patients are the centre and the core of our system. We are professionals committed to quality care and our organizational structure breaks down the traditional boundaries between departments and professional groups, with an exclusive model of knowledge areas.
Would you like to know what your stay at Vall d'Hebron will be like? Here you will find all the information.
The commitment of Vall d'Hebron University Hospital to innovation allows us to be at the forefront of medicine, providing first class care adapted to the changing needs of each patient.
AMD is a degenerative disease of the retina and is currently the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in older people in developed countries.
The retina is the layer at the back of the eye that captures light and sends it to the brain. In the central part of the retina is the macula, which is responsible for sharp, detailed vision. With age, this central area may degenerate and cause a progressive loss of central vision.
The most common early symptom is distorted vision (metamorphopsia). You may notice that straight lines appear wavy or bent.
Other symptoms may include:
AMD does not usually cause total blindness, but it can significantly affect central vision.
The main risk factor is age. The risk increases especially from the age of 50–55 onwards and continues to rise over time.
Other risk factors include:
Early diagnosis is essential. From the age of 50, regular eye examinations including a fundus examination are recommended. In many cases, the disease is not detected at first because one eye compensates for the other. For this reason, it is important to:
If you notice distortion or a fixed central spot, you should consult a specialist.
There are two main types of advanced AMD: atrophic (or dry) AMD, which progresses slowly and currently has no available treatment; and exudative (or wet) AMD, which is more aggressive and can cause faster vision loss.
The wet form can currently be treated with intravitreal injections. This treatment does not cure the disease, but it can stop its activity and stabilise it.
Treatment usually requires regular injections. At first, these may be given monthly or every two months and can later be spaced out depending on progress. Good adherence to treatment is key to preserving vision.
It cannot be completely prevented, but you can reduce your risk by:
Oculoplastic and Orbital Surgery is a sub-specialism that treats the pathology related to the eye attachments, with four main fields of interest: orbital pathology, tear duct anomalies, anophthalmic cavity pathology and eyelid disorders.
The main characteristic of this field is its multi-disciplinary nature, due to the diversity of systemic diseases that may be involved. It is also an area that touches on other specialisms, including maxillofacial surgery, ear, nose and throat, plastic surgery and neurosurgery.
Treatment in this field often involves inter-relation with other medical specialisms, including endocrinology, internal medicine, radiology and oncology. We also provide medical and surgical care for oculoplastic pathology at the Children’s and Women’s Hospital.
In the Neuro-ophthalmology and Strabismus Section, we deal with conditions affecting the optic nerve as well as those related to the loss of ocular alignment.
This Section treats conditions affecting the optic nerve, whether secondary to intracranial hypertension, inflammatory/demyelinating, ischemic, infiltration-related (such as sarcoidosis), compressive, autoimmune, due to nutritional/toxic deficits, paraneoplastic or genetic, those affecting the visual field due to involvement of the visual pathway, whether cranial tumours, stroke, traffic accidents, infections (meningitis, encephalitis…) and those affecting pupil shape, size or reactivity.
Uveitis is an inflammation of the middle layer of the eye, the uvea, and can affect only the ocular and periocular region or it may be associated with systemic diseases. The aetiology of this clinical picture is very varied and includes trauma, infection, previous eye surgery, systemic inflammatory disease and others.
In this Section, we have access to all the testing required to diagnose and manage these conditions, from exclusively ocular tests, such as wide-field retinography, autofluorescence, optical coherence tomography, campimetry, etc., to extraocular testing in close relation with other specialties across the hospital.
The retina sub-specialism is a branch of ophthalmology concerned with studying, diagnosing and treating retina, uvea and vitreous conditions.
Among the pathologies tackled by this sub-specialism are pathologies of the retina that require medical treatment, including: diabetic retinopathy, retinal vascular disorder, such as venous thrombosis or arterial occlusions, age-associated macular degeneration or severe myopia.
The Department has the most advanced technology for the surgical treatment of various retina conditions:
In the Glaucoma Section, we provide comprehensive follow-up for patients with glaucoma, from diagnosis at the primary care center (CAP) or the Hospital to surgical treatment, if necessary.
In the Glaucoma Section, within the Ophthalmology Department, the following tests or techniques are performed:
Our Section deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all pathologies affecting the ocular surface, whether inflammatory, infectious, dystrophic, traumatic, tumour-related or degenerative.
Within the Department, we have the most up-to-date complementary tests for diagnosing ocular surface pathologies: specular microscopy, pachymetry, state-of-the-art topography (Pentacam, Cassini), high-resolution anterior segment OCT, etc.
The Ophthalmology Department at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital offers integrated care to all those with conditions that affect eyes and eye attachments. We act as a national reference in various ophthalmological pathologies, attending patients from both Catalonia and the rest of Spain. This care work is complemented by important teaching and research activity, which allows us to remain at the forefront of our specialty.
The aim of the Ophthalmology Department is to put all the material and human resources at our disposal into improving the eye health and quality of life of our patients.
The Ophthalmology Department's activity is conducted at various locations, depending on the different care activities, all of which are coordinated and directed by Dr José García-Arumí, Head of Department:
The Ophthalmology Teaching Unit at Vall d'Hebron Hospital has several decades of experience in academic training, both formal and continuous, in the subject of Ophthalmology in the degree in Medicine and in the training, via MIR (internal residency), of doctors specialised in ophthalmology.
Ophthalmology training itinerary
"Ophthalmology is defined as the medical and surgical specialty related to the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders and diseases".
"Ophthalmology specialists attend to patients with ocular pathology. Their competencies include the study, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of eye conditions".
he training of resident specialists in ophthalmology requires a special mention in this section, as it is one of our Department's priorities. To this end, we have a teaching structure based on each resident having a tutor, who is responsible for accompanying the resident during the four years of training. The ratio is one tutor for every 3-4 residents. They are responsible for ensuring the resident integrates into the Department, resolving any problems that may arise during the residency and acting as a means of communication between the various attending physicians, the Department Head and the resident. Tutors meet periodically with the residents they tutor, the other tutors in the Department and ultimate teaching leads (the Department Head and the Teaching Director). This is all geared towards achieving the best training profiles for our residents, so that by the end of the residency they are prepared to perform their professional role within the specialty with the utmost professionalism.
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