At The London Clinic Eye Centre, we understand the need for fast, specialist care when your patients present with urgent ophthalmic conditions. Our urgent referral service is designed to provide same-day or next-day consultations with expert ophthalmologists, ensuring prompt diagnosis and treatment.
Urgent eye referral service – eye centre
Also known as: Rapid medical referral (RMR) pathway, Urgent ophthalmology referral service
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What does our urgent eye referral service cover?
Our urgent referral service includes a comprehensive consultation with an ophthalmic consultant, along with any relevant state-of-the-art diagnostic techniques that may be required, and any required interventions.
We accept referrals for patients experiencing:
✓ Sudden vision loss (partial or complete)
✓ Acute eye infections
✓ Unexplained eye pain or redness
✓ Flashes, floaters or suspected retinal detachment
✓ Post-surgical complications
This service does not cover emergency cases requiring A&E intervention, such as:
✖ Major eye trauma (for example, penetrating injuries or chemical burns)
✖ Severe infections requiring hospital admission
✖ Sudden, complete blindness with systemic (whole-body) symptoms
✖ We also cannot take NHS patients, as this is a private service.
If you are unsure whether your patient may be suitable for our urgent referral service, please get in touch via WhatsApp.
The benefits of our urgent referral service
Our urgent referral service offers real-time responses to all referrals made within business hours. After corresponding with the referring medical professional about the patient’s condition, we provide comprehensive, in-person consultations with same-day availability.
As a result, The London Clinic Eye Centre’s urgent referral service enables fast and accurate diagnoses of conditions that may require immediate treatment.
✓ A world-class team of expert ophthalmologists
✓ State-of-the-art diagnostics and advanced treatments
✓ Seamless referral process with fast response times
✓ Convenient central London location
✓ High standards of patient care and comfort
How to use the urgent referral service
If you are a medical professional who has triaged a patient and determined the need for an ophthalmologist, you should contact us directly via WhatsApp on 07815024072 or fill in our online form.
If you send us a message via WhatsApp, you will initially receive an automated response before a member of our team picks up the conversation.
Urgent consultations are available Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 6:00 pm. We aim to respond to all referrals within 30 minutes (on business days) and to arrange a consultation on the same day or within 24 hours, whenever possible.
No, this is a private service for self-pay or insured patients only.
The cost of a consultation depends on the diagnostic techniques required to assess the patient’s condition thoroughly. However, on average, an urgent referral consultation starts from £300.
We aim to schedule same-day appointments or appointments within 24 hours. Our clinical team will review and respond within 30 minutes, Monday – Friday 8:30am – 6pm. We are closed on weekends and bank holidays.
We do not handle cases involving major eye trauma or severe infections that require hospital admission.If you’re unsure whether your patient may be suitable for our urgent referral service, please get in touch through our WhatsApp.
Patients can use private medical insurance (PMI) to access this treatment. We work with all major PMI providers in the UK and many internationally.Alternatively, patients can opt to pay for themselves (self-pay). For those choosing the self-pay option, we also offer finance options through Chrysalis.You can help patients find out more about paying for their consultation by visiting our payment page.
Why choose The London Clinic?
Trusted for over 90 years, The London Clinic is an independent charitable hospital that reinvests into care, research, and support for those who can’t easily access private treatment.
The UK’s largest independent hospital
More patients choose The London Clinic than any other.
Top-rated by real patients
4.86/5 from over 1,600 reviews on Doctify and over 4.5 on Google.
Full intensive care on-site
World-class 13-bed ICU for expert support if your care becomes complex.
Investing in clinical excellence
Backed by Northwestern, we equip our teams with cutting-edge medical equipment.