Home: Specialty Centres: Riverside Eye Care Centre: Clinical/Diagnostic Services

Clinical/Diagnostic Services

The Ottawa Hospital, Riverside Eye Care Centre offers many diagnostic and treatment clinics within a state-of-the-art facility using the latest equipment.

These are by-appointment only clinics.

Diagnostic Clinics

At the Riverside Eye Care Centre, diagnostic tests are booked through the ophthalmologists' offices and performed by our technicians. These tests include:

Photography: Fluorescein angiography with digital photos to assess retinal circulation
Visual Field: mapping a patient's peripheral vision for any defects
A-Scan / Biometry: measuring the shape of the eye in preparation for cataract surgery and determining the IOL (intra-ocular lens) power
Optical Coherence Tomography: measures nerve fibre layer thickness for glaucoma patients, macular edema, macular holes, epiretinal membranes, post PDT
Pachymetry: measures central corneal thickness in glaucoma
IOL Master Laser Biometry
Slit Lamp Anterior Segment Photography

Treatment Clinics

Our treatment services are booked by referral from ophthalmologists, emergency physicians, family practitioners, or optometrists only. Our clinics include:

Eye Consultation Clinic: consultations from family physicians or optometrists for diagnosis or treatment of eye problems
Glaucoma Clinic: monitoring patients with increased ocular pressure
Retina Clinic: highly specialized treatment of diseases of the retina
Laser Clinic: laser therapy is used to treat many eye diseases
Oculoplastics Clinic: plastic surgery to the eyelids, tear ducts
Adult Strabismus: treating patients with strabismus
Anterior Segment: cornea, external disease, uveitis, corneal transplant
Neuro-Ophthalmology
Ocular Pathology
Photo Dynamic Therapy for macular degeneration

Emergency referrals are triaged by the nursing team and scheduled for treatment only when appropriate.

Pre-Admission Unit

All surgical patients are seen in the Riverside Eye Care Centre, Pre-Admission Unit before the scheduled surgical date. If you wish, you may bring a family member/support person with you to the appointment. A Registered Nurse will interview you about your health history and you will receive written instructions to help you prepare for your surgery and your recovery. During this visit, you may also spend time with an anesthesiologist who will confirm your fitness for surgery. If you are scheduled for a second surgical procedure within one year of the first procedure, you will be interviewed by telephone and a return visit to the RECC may not be necessary. All surgical procedures are done on an outpatient basis.

Operating Rooms

The Riverside Eye Care Centre of The Ottawa Hospital has four full and two minor operating rooms equipped with the latest technology. The professional team of nurses, surgeons and anesthesiologists working here performed almost 10,000 surgical procedures in 2005-2006. This number includes cataract procedures and almost 625 retina procedures. Corneal transplants, glaucoma surgery, and oculoplasty procedures are performed as well. These numbers rank far ahead of most other major eye centres in Canada.

Day Stay Unit / Post Anesthesia Care Unit

This spacious area is where you will start and end your stay at the Riverside Eye Care Centre on the day of surgery. Our enthusiastic team of nurses will spend time with your before your surgery and will be waiting for you upon your return for the operating room. You will be offered a nutritious snack and beverage following your surgery. The unit is fully equipped with modern monitoring equipment. You will be discharged and telephoned by a nurse to ensure that you are recovering appropriately.