Ophthalmology
We provide diagnosis and care for people with eye conditions.
What we do
The Department of Ophthalmology provides outpatient, inpatient consultation, and elective and emergency ophthalmology surgical services, as well as a range of speciality eye care services.
Conditions seen and services include:
- adult squint and squint surgery
- advanced diabetic eye disease
- cataract
- corneal and external diseases
- glaucoma
- oculoplastic and orbital surgery
- ocular oncology
- ocular and adnexal trauma
- neuro-ophthalmology
- medical and surgical retinal
- management of emergencies via daily emergency clinics.
Where to find us
Outpatient Department, Level 3 (ground floor), Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Check appointment information and screens on arrival at the RAH.
Who we are
Consultants
- Dr Mark Chehade – Head of Unit
You need a referral from a GP or medical practitioner to access this service.
Once your referral has been received it will be triaged according to clinical urgency.
If your referral is accepted, you will either:
- receive a letter, phone call or text message confirming your appointment time, date and location
- receive a letter confirming you have been waitlisted for an appointment.
If the referral is declined, your GP or referring medical practitioner will be notified.
Outpatient services
Find out information about specialist outpatient appointments, how to be referred, plus information when attending an outpatient clinic.
Your outpatient appointment
Contact us to:
- change your appointment time
- cancel your appointment
- find out triage status
- general outpatient enquiries.
If you need to cancel or change your appointment time, let us know as soon as possible.
Preparing for surgery
The healthier you are going into surgery, the stronger you will be coming out. Find tips and resources to help you get ready for surgery.
We accept referrals from general practitioners (GPs), optometrists, nurse practitioners and specialists.
eReferrals are preferred.
Use the Clinical Prioritisation Criteria (CPC) as a referral guide.
To ensure timely triage, include all demographic and clinical details.
The service triages referrals according to clinical urgency.
Urgent and serious referrals
If you are concerned about the appointment being delayed or if the patient's condition is deteriorating, contact the registrar to discuss.
Registrars are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Patients requiring immediate assessment should be sent directly to the Emergency Department.
Discharge guidelines
Patients whose medical condition has stabilised or resolved, and where no further appointment has been made, will be formally discharged.
If medical assessment is required again, a new referral should be made explaining the reason.
The Royal Adelaide Hospital intensive care unit is one of the major education and training providers for intensive care medicine in Australia and New Zealand.
Our expert clinicians and educators deliver a comprehensive accredited training program to doctors and nurses seeking advanced training in critical care.
Training in the ICU
The RAH ICU is accredited by the College of Intensive Care Medicine as a General/C24 training institution.
We are one of only two major tertiary/quaternary centres in South Australia accredited to provide:
- foundation training
- general/ core ICU training
- subspecialty training in neurosurgical ICU
- cardiac ICU and trauma care, and
- Fellowships (Transition year training).
We also routinely have rotational trainees and visiting international medical graduate trainees and specialists, who come to our unit to further develop their ICU experience and credentials.
See all current vacancies at the RAH, including the ICU.
Medical training
The ICU offers the following Fellowships (transition year training) positions:
Specialist ICU Education Fellowships
The ICU Education Fellowship coordinates the medical education training program and produces the RAH ICU Medical Education Report. The roles also facilitates attainment of post-graduate qualifications in clinical education and has ties to the ANZCEN Clinician Educator Incubator
Cardiac ICU Fellowships
The Cardiac ICU Fellowship interfaces with a robust echocardiography program that can help progress DDU and other echocardiography qualifications. They are also routinely involved in a dedicated echocardiography training course (coming soon) and an extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) training course (coming soon) that are coordinated by the department.
The Cardiac Fellow is also regularly involved with practical ultrasound and echocardiography skills training sessions that are conducted at the bedside in the ICU, as well as monthly echocardiography review meetings.
There are 6-10 Senior registrars in the trainee group who have a pivotal role in the effective running of the ICU.
Greater clinical autonomy and longitudinal responsibility of patient care allows our trainees to be charged with complex clinical tasks, lead roles in teaching, and the supervision of less experienced trainees.
All trainees are encouraged to have non-clinical interests, however Senior registrars are given opportunities to cultivate a discrete non-clinical portfolio, with many opportunities supported directly by members of the consultant group.
Some Senior registrar positions may also be allocated as Fellows (Transition Year), with education, cardiac and other specialty interest portfolios that can be negotiated, depending on the trainee.
Appointment to any of the Senior registrar positions is competitive and requires consideration of prior experience, clinical acumen and demonstration of leadership potential.
We believe that the combination of autonomy, higher level clinical tasks and support with non-clinical role development, provides our trainees with exceptional training opportunities that prepares them well to become well-rounded senior clinicians and consultants.
The designation of Senior registrar within the ICU may be independent of the CICM regulation definitions of a “Senior Registrar rotation”. Term accreditation can be discussed with Supervisors of Training prior to commencement to ensure that vocational training requirements are met.
The RAH ICU welcomes registrars and residents from a variety of levels and specialist training pathways, providing a robust training program that accounts for the breadth of specialists and experience levels of clinicians in the unit.
We have dedicated sessions for core ICU topics, evidence-based medicine (Journal Club), radiology tutorials, audit/quality improvement and review, and inter-disciplinary in-situ simulation training covering general ICU and ECMO scenarios.
Registrars and residents seeking ICU rotations are encouraged to discuss their training pathway with their supervisors of training and Medical Workforce.
Contact the ICU secretary to get access to our education program and weekly education newsletter.
Undergraduate and post-graduate medical students are frequently posted in the ICU and participate in the ICU education program, while also having a dedicated critical care training program schedule coordinated by an ICU consultant.
Seminal paper presentations
From 2024, we are providing up to date links to all seminal paper presentations for all ICU staff on Google Drive.
Nursing training
Nursing Education in the RAH ICU offers progressive, contemporary learning opportunities for the development of all levels of nursing staff. The team is located within the ICU, developing a close understanding of the development needs of individual nursing staff.
The Nurse Education Team consists of two Nurse Educators (RN3) and four Clinical Nurse Educators (CNE RN2 job share).
Induction into working within the RAH ICU for new nursing staff is developed and delivered by the Nurse Educators.
New nursing staff to RAH participate in Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) orientation and this is followed by a two-week ICU induction period.
The ICU induction consists of a dedicated ICU induction day, supernumerary patient care shifts, specific education sessions, workshops and supported clinical learning at the patient bedside.
The induction also introduces current patient data and workforce structure, addressing the National Safety & Quality Health Service Standards, fundamentals of care and foundations of intensive care nursing, ensuring new staff have the knowledge and skill set to be work ready.
Professional development pathways are designed to provide a structure for staff development.
Read more about the pathways in place for the nursing team:
Transition to Professional Practice Program Pathway
Each year we welcome a large cohort of graduate registered nurses in their first year of nursing undertaking the Transition to Professional Practice Program. They have a six-month placement in ICU with supported education and training
Registered Nurse Professional Development Pathway
This pathway is designed with learning activities which support developing clinical practice and preparedness for postgraduate specialisation studies
Critical Care Registered Nurse Pathway
The Critical Care Registered Nurse pathway supports postgraduate qualified registered nurses with development to extend their clinical and professional practice, leading into advanced roles such as Access Nurse (Team Leader) and Medical Emergency Response Team member.
In-service education program
The in-service education program is delivered Monday to Friday, during nursing double staff time.
There are several sessions each day addressing the learning needs of the whole team, junior and senior staff. The format includes traditional lecture style, case presentations, skills stations, and clinical deterioration simulation scenarios.
Professional Development Programs
There are many professional development programs for staff in ICU and Central Education.
Programs delivered by the nursing and multidisciplinary team include renal dialysis, ECMO and Cardiac ALS.
For more information, contact nurse educators:
Natalie Vinzcer
Email: natalie.vinzcer@sa.gov.au
Gigy Cherian
Email: gigy.cherian@sa.gov.au
At RAH ICU we partner with all three South Australian universities - The University of Adelaide, Flinders University and the University of South Australia - for postgraduate studies in critical care/intensive care nursing.
Currently, over 60% of RAH ICU nursing staff have postgraduate nursing qualifications in critical care nursing.
Completion of postgraduate critical care nursing studies leads to high acuity patient allocation and development into advanced nursing roles within ICU.
Undergraduate student placements
RAH ICU facilitates many pre-registration final year nursing student placements each year. The students are supported by a local ICU experienced clinical facilitator.
ICU placement provision
RAH ICU nursing education facilitates placements for registered nurses from a variety of metropolitan and regional health service organisations and international nurses, seeking intensive care unit exposure.
Courses
There are several courses conducted in South Australia that support intensive care skills training and contribute to continuing professional development. Numerous members of staff at the Royal Adelaide Hospital ICU serve in faculty positions including as convenors, course directors and instructors.
Most courses are reliant on cross-campus support across health networks and training sites. The collaborative delivery of courses is a key strength, ensuring attendees are exposed to a wide range of instructors with broad and extensive experience.
The courses listed are open to attendees across the State and Nationally, with increasingly high demand.
Richard Strickland - course co-ordinator
Nick Edwards - Course director
Mike Davies - course convenor
Kenneth Lee - course convenor
Contact for information and to register for this course.
Email: Kenneth.Lee@sa.gov.au
Michael Farquharson - Course director
Course information coming soon.
Amy Sanguesa - course convenor
Contact for information and to register for SAILS sessions.
Email: Amy.Sanguesa@sa.gov.au
The RAH ICU is renowned nationally for its leadership in ICU research, which includes supporting new investigators and spearheading international trials.
Projects cover a wide range, from trainee-led initiatives to multidisciplinary collaborations, with engagement in translational research and support for higher degree programs.
We have strong academic ties with institutions like the University of Adelaide and NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Translating Nutritional Science to Good Health.