In this section
Manchester Royal Eye Hospital has provided world class ophthalmic care to the people of Manchester, the surrounding region and the wider United Kingdom since 1814.
Our History
The Manchester Eye Hospital was founded on 21 October 1814. Founder William James Wilson, from Leeds, set the hospital up in the spare rooms of a house “near the top of King Street”.
It moved to Faulkner Street in 1827, to Princess Street in 1874, and to St John’s Street in 1882. In 1865, Queen Victoria gave approval for it to become the Royal Eye Hospital.
As the hospital expanded, it relocated once again to the now Grade II-listed building on Oxford Road, which opened in 1885.
During WWI, 49 beds were set aside for the military. During that time, they treated 1,831 army inpatients and 14,000 outpatients. 415 operations were performed. John Street finally closed in 1920 after 53 years on the site.
The hospital acquired further property after WWI, with a new outpatient department opening in converted houses opposite the hospital. In 1935, an orthoptics department opened to treat squints.
During WWII, the hospital served as a clearing station and was closed to outpatients, who transferred to Withington. It was bombed on 23 December 1940, killing two staff members and causing damage.
In 2009, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital moved into our brand new, state-of-the-art hospital, alongside the other Manchester University Hospitals on Oxford Road. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the hospital in 2012.
To celebrate our bicentenary in 2014, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital opened its doors to the public, giving behind-the-scenes tours of the operating theatres and showcasing our equipment.
Our Services
The hospital is designed to see a variety of outpatients, provide regular treatments and care for inpatients. Patients benefit from the laser treatment, purpose-built injection, examination and consultation rooms as well as ultrasound and clinical imaging facilities.
We employ the latest technologies to ensure the care we provide to our patients is modern, safe and effective.
Location
The Manchester Royal Eye Hospital provides some of its services across a number of locations, aiming to take care closer to home, to reduce travel time and speed up access to surgery or other treatment.
For more details about our locations, visit our locations page.
For more details about how to get to our main Oxford Road site, visit our Getting Here page.
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Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT)
Manchester Royal Eye Hospital is part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT). Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust was formed on 1 October 2017 and is responsible for running a family of ten hospitals across seven separate sites. It provides a wide range of services from comprehensive local general hospital care through to highly specialised regional and national services.
Our Values
Manchester Royal Eye Hospital is proud to align itself with the shared values of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.
We are compassionate
- Care about people, focusing on the needs of all our patients and staff
- Reduce our impact on the environment.
- Support local people and the local economy in our role as a large local employer and consumer.
We are curious
- Use digital technology and other innovations to improve the way we work for patients and our colleagues.
- Use data, insight and evidence to inform the way we deliver services and make decisions.
We are collaborative
- Involve patients and our communities in the planning and delivery our services.
- Work together as one team across MFT.
- Work together with partners across Greater Manchester.
- Use our influence locally and nationally to the benefit of our patients, our communities and our partners.
We are open and honest
- Listen and respond to feedback from staff, patients, communities and partners.
- Celebrate our successes.
- Be honest about where things can be better and share learning to make improvements.
We are inclusive
- Address health inequalities, ensuring everyone can get the care they need and the best possible outcomes whatever their identity or background.
- Build a diverse workforce at all levels in which everyone can belong, and which reflects the people who use our services, helping us to deliver better care and build trust with our communities.