About our services
Ophthalmology is a branch of medicine and surgery which deals with eye disorders, including cataracts, glaucoma and medical retina.
At the Centre of Excellence for Eyes (CEE) which is based at the NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter, we provide low complexity cataract surgery as well as diagnostic imaging for monitoring and diagnosing glaucoma and medical retina problems.
Patients from across Devon will be cared for at the CEE, with referrals from;
Royal Devon – Eastern Services (previously Royal Devon & Exeter)
Royal Devon – Northern Services (previously North Devon Healthcare Trust)
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
The CEE team at the Nightingale consists of Ophthalmic Surgeons, Surgical Trainees, Specialist Nurses, Theatre Support Workers, Healthcare Assistants (HCAs) and Eye Healthcare Professionals such as Optometrists and Specialist Practitioners, supported by a great team of Ophthalmic Technicians.
The same-day cataract surgery pathway and data acquisition diagnostic lanes at CEE have been officially recognised as a Royal College of Ophthalmologists exemplary pathway, reinforcing our commitment to the highest standards of clinical effectiveness and innovation. This national endorsement highlights the department’s dedication to pioneering patient care, as detailed in this case study.
Meet our clinical leads
Miss Carly Slade
Carly is Clinical Matron for the Centre of Excellence for Eyes (CEE) at the Nightingale. Carly first registered as a nurse in 2011 working in ENT, Maxillo-facial and Ophthalmics at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. She later specialised in Ophthalmology and Glaucoma in 2014, working as a Glaucoma Nurse Specialist and subsequently running the Glaucoma unit from 2015 to 2022. Carly also held the Clinical Matron post at the West of England Eye Unit at the Royal Devon from 2020 to the end of 2022, prior to commencing her role at the Nightingale.
Dr Elizabeth Wilkinson
Liz is a Consultant Ophthalmologist and is our Clinical Lead for Ophthalmic Diagnostics at the Centre of Excellence for Eyes (CEE). Liz is also the NHSE Clinical Lead in Ophthalmology for the South West and NHS Devon Integrated Care Board. Having completed an MA in Medicine at the University of Cambridge, she also undertook law studies, before undergoing physician training at St Thomas’s Hospital. Liz was the second female President of Ophthalmology at the Royal Society of Medicine and is immediate past president of the British Association of Retinal Screening.
Mr Harry Roberts
MBChB MSc PGCertMedEd MD(Res) FRCOphth CertLRS
Mr. Harry Roberts is a distinguished consultant ophthalmologist specialising in cataract and corneal surgery. Based at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Mr. Roberts is the lead for the cataract service at the Nightingale Hospital. His other professional roles include: Regional Specialty Lead for the NIHR Regional Research Delivery Network in the Southwest, Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Exeter, Specialty Lead for Ophthalmology at the University of Exeter Medical School and Research Fellow at HealthTech Research Centre Exeter.
Mr. Roberts’ academic career begins with a distinction-laden medical degree from the University of Birmingham, followed by a Masters in Anatomy, a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education, and a doctorate (MD) from King’s College London focusing on integrating femtosecond laser technologies into cataract surgery within public healthcare. He has also earned the Royal College of Ophthalmologists’ prestigious Harcourt Medal for achieving the highest performance in the Fellowship examinations as well as their Certificate in Laser Refractive Surgery. His advanced training includes competitive fellowships at Moorfields Eye Hospital and Southend University Hospital, where he honed his expertise in corneal surgery.
In addition to his clinical roles, Mr. Roberts is deeply committed to education and mentorship. He leads a cornea and cataract fellowship program at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, providing hands-on training to the next generation of specialists. He is also the co-author of Current Clinical Evidence in Ophthalmology, a key resource for ophthalmologists worldwide. As an educator and researcher, he regularly lectures at national and international conferences and has published over 60 peer-reviewed papers influencing surgical pathways and clinical practices, including promoting the widespread adoption of immediate sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS) within public healthcare.
Shakeel Ahmad
MBBS, MRCS, FRCOphth
Dr. Shakeel Ahmad is currently serving as a Corneal Fellow at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, where he specialises in various types of corneal surgeries, including lamellar and full-thickness corneal transplants. With extensive experience in cataract surgery, he has successfully performed over 8000 cataract surgeries with a very low complication rate. Dr. Ahmad is among a select group of surgeons at NGE who perform bilateral sequential cataract surgeries.
Dr. Ahmad obtained his medical degree from the University of Health Sciences in Lahore, Pakistan, and underwent initial training in general ophthalmology in Pakistan. He then worked as a refractive surgeon in a private hospital, where he performed nearly 100 laser refractive surgeries.
In 2020, Dr. Ahmad relocated to the UK and began his journey at Stoke Mandeville Hospital as a cataract fellow, during which he completed 1200 cataract surgeries within a year with an impressively low complication rate of 0.02%. He also completed two corneal fellowships, one at Southend University Hospital and another at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. He is now working on obtaining specialist registration through the portfolio pathway after completing his CESR fellowship. He is currently in his third corneal fellowship and has completed almost 250 corneal graft surgeries.
Information for Patients
If you are unsure as to whether you need Cataract Surgery, we highly recommend you read the NHS Cataract Decision Making tool found here.
Please click here to access the Cataract Recovery Tracker within the Helping you to make a speedy recovery after cataract surgery leaflet and CEE specific leaflets are available by clicking here.
Please click here to access our Travel Hub leaflet which provides helpful information to plan your visit to Nightingale.
“Dora” calls to patients to help us gather information relevant to your surgery
We are using “Dora”, a chatbot, that will telephone you the week before you have your cataract surgery. This is to help us check if you’re still planning to attend for your scheduled surgery. You can speak to Dora like a person. Dora has been specially configured to conduct general health and fitness reviews and to help the hospital care for more patients. Dora was developed by an autonomous telemedicine company, Ufonia, and has been deployed at trusts across the NHS, conducting over 19,000 calls to patients with excellent feedback from patients and staff.
If you have a mobile phone number on our records, you will receive a text message with the date and time that Dora will call. Dora will also try alternative times and days if more suitable for you.
Dora will call you from this number: 01392 341668 on the Wednesday before your surgery at 11am. You may wish to save this number in your phone to avoid the call being marked as spam. You will receive a further call 12 weeks after your surgery on Wednesday at 11am to find out how the surgery has affected you and your life so we can improve the quality of care we provide.
[Disclaimer: At the beginning of the call you will be asked if you are happy for anonymised data from your call to be used for training and research purposes. You have the opportunity to accept or to reject this based on your personal preferences.]
For more information, please see our Frequently Asked Questions document here.
What our patients have to say
Lu Li’s Story – “From the moment I arrived, I felt supported, cared for, and completely at ease”