The clinic has its own fax, photocopier and sophisticated computer hardware and software including flatbed and 35mm slide scanner and colour printer. A slidex file projector for angiograms and Kodak 35mm slide projector as well as a camcorder are also held within the department. Peripheral clinics are presently conducted at Newmarket, Sudbury, Stowmarket and Thetford. Currently eleven operating lists are undertaken weekly in the main operating theatre suite and recently opened day surgery unit. Equipment is excellent and includes modern Wild operating microscopes with monitors and VCRs, Alcon MVS vitrectomy machine, a new cryo and also new Chiron phacoemulsifiers.
Microsurgical instrumentation is to a high standard.
Teaching A weekly departmental teaching session is held and in addition to informal teaching within the Unit, staff are expected to attend a formalised teaching programme each Friday afternoon at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge with which the West Suffolk Eye Department has extremely close links. Regional ophthalmic meetings are held four or five times a year rotating through the various district hospitals and both junior and senior staff where possible are expected to attend or contribute. Additionally, the West Suffolk Hospital Eye Department staff are jointly responsible for organising and promoting the annual Bury St. Edmunds Eye Symposium as a high calibre national one day meeting. The Specialist Registrar currently attends three operating lists weekly and obtains first hand experience of paediatric, oculoplastic, keratoplasty and complex glaucoma surgical cases in addition to the more common procedures. Additionally we are increasing the number of collaborative procedures with our ENT colleagues to perform endoscopic DCR surgery.