PROCEDURES
Cataract Surgery
Mr Barnes offers bespoke cataract surgery. Cataract surgery is cutting edge technology. Over the last 25 years it has steadily got better and safer and will continue to do so. Advances have made the operation as safe and reliable as possible. The surgery takes place at either the Royal Victoria Infirmary or at the Newcastle Nuffield Hospital.
Over the last 2 years, the audited infection rate from over 16000 cataract surgeries at the RVI has been less than 1 in 3000 operations. One of the lowest quoted rates internationally
The surgery normally takes about 20 minutes and you are generally in hospital for 3-4 hours allowing for the normal pre and post theatre checks. Patients undergoing surgery under local anaesthesia can eat and drink as normal.
Watery Eyes
Mr Barnes has a subspeciality interest in people with watery eyes. Having seen thousands of people with this condition he realises that it can be a much bigger problem than most people imagine. The nuisance of constantly having to wipe ones eyes, the inflammation of the surrounding skin and comments about ‘being alright’ because people mistakenly think you are crying can grind people down in the long term.
Thankfully, he can often control the watering with conservative measures , like tablets and eye drops. If these simple measures fail, then surgery can often help.
Eyelid Lumps & Bumps
Mr Barnes spends a large part of his time in the NHS dealing with cataracts and problems of the eyelid. This commonly involves patients with eyelid lumps , cysts , tumours and other deformities.
Many of these can be dealt with either by simple or more complex surgery depending on the underlying diagnosis. Microscopic examination of the lesion is often undertaken to confirm the diagnosis if there is any doubt.
Eyelid Malposition
Many eyelids alter from their original position with advancing age. Eyelids may droop , turn inwards and irritate the eye or turn outwards and can be associated with watering.
Surgery may be indicated to try and improve the eyelid for functional reasons.
Eyelid Tumours
Malignant skin tumours like Basal Cell Carcinomas are common but not very aggressive cancers that frequently occur around the eyelids. Unfortunately, these tumours continue to grow and cause local destruction of tissues in time. Often the best method of removing them is by a method called Mohs micrographic Surgery. This is performed by the Mohs Dermatologist in conjunction with Mr Barnes. The Mohs dermatologist excises all the tumour with the smallest margin possible and then Mr Barnes repairs the resulting defect.This allows for the best chance of curing the tumour , sparing as much normal tissue as possible and resulting in the best cosmetic results under the circumstances
Botulinum Toxin
Mr Barnes has been using botulinum toxin (Botox) for functional blepharospasm, hemi facial spasm, inducing ptosis and temporarily controlling lower eyelid entropia for over 20 years. He has much experience in administering botulinum toxin aesthetically since 2002.
