Our History

Birmingham’s first Eye Hospital was established and opened on 12th April 1824 known as the “The Infirmary for the Cure of Disease of the Eye”. Jointly, Mr Joseph Hodgson, surgeon at the General Hospital in Birmingham and Dr Gabriel De Lys, physician at the General Hospital, created the concept of opening an eye hospital in Birmingham. At that time, the Eye Hospital was relying mainly on charity donations and subscriptions.

In 1853, “The Birmingham and Midland Institute for the Cure of Diseases of the Eye” was officially opened. A few years after, the number of outpatient appointments reached 3992, 341 of which were admitted to the ward.

In 1862 the name changed to “The Birmingham and Midland Eye Hospital" and the facilities moved to a new hospital in Temple Row. Then from June 1884, the hospital moved to Church Street where it was able to accommodate up to 15,772 patients and performed just over 1200 operations. Like in previous years, patients were required to present tickets to be seen at the Eye Hospital where those tickets were issued for subscribers and donors.

In 1948, the nationalisation of the health services ended the history of the Eye Hospital as maintained by charitable donations and subscriptions. In 1982, the Hospital dealt with 50,338 outpatients’ attendances and 2,731 inpatients, with 26,132 casualty attendances.

In 1996, the necessity for a new hospital after 112 years at Church Street was evident and hospital moved to its current location at City Hospital on Dudley Road and was once again renamed “Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre (BMEC)”.

BMEC includes the following:

• Academic Unit
• Accident and Emergency Department
• Out-patient Suites
• Five operating theatres (including one in the Behçet’s Centre and one in the Birmingham Treatment Centre)
• Cataract Unit
• Medical Photography (fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography, anterior segment digital photography)
• Visual Function Department (visual fields, electrodiagnostic, ultrasound, HRT and OCT)
• Orthoptic Department
• Refraction Service (including contact lenses, low vision aids, and dispensing services)
• Artificial Eye Service
• Ophthalmic Ward (the only dedicated ophthalmology ward in the West Midlands) with eight in-patient beds
• A day surgery bay
• A Paediatric Wing with five beds

It also houses the National Behçet’s Centre of Clinical Excellence.

There are more than 31 substantive Consultant Ophthalmologists and five locum appointments.

Subspecialty interests represented include:

• Corneal and external eye disease and uveitis (both encompassing inflammatory eye diseases)
• Vitreo-retinal surgery
• Medical ophthalmology including diabetic eye disease
• Macular degeneration
• Retinal vein occlusion
• Glaucoma
• Neuro-ophthalmology
• Oculoplastic and orbital surgery
• Ocular motility
• Paediatric ophthalmology
• Retinoblastoma
• Genetic eye disease

BMEC is currently one of the largest eye centres in Europe and is constantly developing to meet the demands of our ever-changing society. The centre receives tertiary referral cases from throughout the Midlands and further a field. BMEC works on a Hub and Spoke Principle, BMEC being the hub, the spokes being Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Russells Hall Hospital and Solihull Hospital.

This is the story of the development of the Academic and Research Departments at the now Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre, in the words of Michael Roper-Hall:

1934: Dorothy Campbell was a consultant in Coventry and accepted an invitation to establish our Research Department in 1934. As director (1934-1940), she researched Miner’s nystagmus and organised several courses in industrial ophthalmology. The Research Department existed under the direction of Dorothy Campbell several years before the appointment of a professor.

Many of us did some work in the department, but two in particular were Michael Hay and James Crews. Dr Michael Hay studied ‘Migraine’ and ran a Migraine clinic, and James Crews did a great deal of research into ‘Retinitis Pigmentosa’.

1945: At Birmingham & Midland Eye Hospital, I was House Surgeon in 1945 and Resident Surgical Officer in 1946. Around this time, I was permitted to spend six weeks in Zurich to see the research and clinical progress that had been made in Switzerland during the years when the rest of Europe was at war and such progress was impossible. I was asked by Prof Amsler to write a report on ‘Research in Zurich’, and this was my first publication (BJO 1947; 31; 223-228).

1958: Between 1958 and 1975, I was appointed as a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Birmingham based at Birmingham and Midland Eye Hospital. I was then followed by Philip Jameson-Evans as Senior Clinical Lecturer and Tutor until the present Chair was established in 1988.

1960: In the 1960s, a number of research associations and societies were formed. The Association for Eye Research (AER), one of the first in the UK, was founded by Terry Perkins and the concept soon spread throughout Europe. Several consultants from Birmingham and Midland Eye Hospital joined this research association and I was elected Chairman from 1969-1972. Towards the end of my time as Chairman, the association merged with another research society and became the European Society for Vision and Eye Research (EVER).

1964: I recall that in August 1964, Pseudomonas infections occurred on the main operating lists on Thursday, Friday, and Monday. My list was on Tuesday and should have been cancelled, but there was a lack of communication between the two firms and no information had been passed on.

1968: The Eye Foundation was set up in 1968 as a charitable body in order to obtain much-needed equipment. Although this was its main objective, there was always the aim of promoting research in conjunction with the University of Birmingham. The University was willing to establish a Chair in Ophthalmology if £55,000 was provided annually. The Foundation was soon successful in raising that sum.

1971: By 1971, the Foundation had enough funds, and the University was ready to establish a Chair for a Professor to hold half of his appointment in clinical work; unfortunately, the NHS was unable to fund new sessions, which halted progress for several years.

1972: With James Crews and architect John Humby, I visited newly built eye hospitals in Europe and wrote an article: ‘Planning of a 100-bed Eye Hospital’, which was published in 1972.

1973: I served on the Council of the Royal College of Surgeons from 1973-78 and on its Academic Board from 1973-75.

1979-1985: James Crews, whom I had previously visited Europe with, held complementary sessions with me during this time. He specialised in Retina and established the retinal clinic. He researched ‘Retinitis Pigmentosa' and other familial retinal conditions. He was appointed as Professor at Aston University.

1985: In February 1985, I resigned from the NHS. There were several reasons for my resignation at that time, but one was that it would help the progression of the academic unit by giving enough sessions to cover the clinical work of a professor or Senior Lecturer. It took four years to finalise the job description, send out the advertisements, and make the first academic appointments. I worked doing my own locum during this time until 1990, when the Chair was established.

1988: In 1988, Alistair Fielder was the first to be appointed to the new chair of ophthalmology at the University of Birmingham. He remained chair until 1995. His main research interest was ‘Retinopathy of Prematurity’. Philip Murray took over from Alistair, gaining promotion to Professor after six years as a Senior Lecturer, and briefly as Reader.

1989: On the 17th of July 1969, I attended the official opening of the Academic Unit. Alistair Fielder, who had been appointed as Professor, welcomed the guests before I gave a presentation giving insight into the background of the development. Following my presentation, Gerard Coghlan gave the West Birmingham Health Authority a view of future development and the value of the links between the NHS and the University. Before the formal opening, Alistair thanked the Birmingham Eye Foundation, Hale-Rudd Trust, West Birmingham Health Authority, and the University for their support. The formal opening and the unveiling of the plaque then took place, performed by Sir Adrian Cadbury.