Scots with sight loss at 'risk' as eye hospital closes for six months with calls for alternative

Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh will be shut from October 28 but campaigners say eye patients are being overlooked yet again.

An NHS board has been accused of putting Scots with sight loss at "risk" after it was announced an eye hospital was set to close for six months due to emergency repair works. Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh will be shut from October 28 while asbestos is removed from the building and waste pipes are repaired.

Patients have been told that services will be relocated to other areas across the health board, but the news has been met with disdain from charities who say NHS Lothian is overlooking vulnerable eye patients. It comes after the Chalmers Street building was deemed unfit for purpose in 2015 but any plans to replace it have been shelved due to budget pressures.

Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans have warned the closure will result in longer waiting times and declining patient care putting the eye health and mental wellbeing of thousands at risk. Lorna Pratt, who is severely visually impaired and a frequent visitor to the eye hospital, has expressed dismay over the decision.

Diagnosed with keratoconus in 1974, which causes the cornea to weaken, Lorna has undergone numerous surgeries and feels the delay in securing funding for a new hospital is leaving some of the most vulnerable people in society to suffer.

She said: "The decision to close the hospital for six months is incredibly concerning. Many vulnerable, frail and elderly people will now be forced to travel elsewhere - perhaps to multiple different locations - for vital eye care. Finding your way to somewhere new and then negotiating a location which is not designed for those with sight loss is challenging, to say the least.

"The building is simply not fit for purpose. Last summer, when my vision was particularly poor as I recovered from surgery, everything in the ward was white—the walls, the bed linens, the toilets, the light switches. It felt like I was trapped in a blizzard. My daughter had to bring in neon tape so I could find my way around."

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Iain Young, an RAF veteran from East Lothian who has been undergoing diagnosis for suspected Stargardt disease - an inherited condition that causes you vision to blur - for over a decade, also criticised the decision to shut down the eye hospital.

"It’s disgraceful that the hospital is being closed for repairs without a suitable alternative in place," he said. "Losing your sight is incredibly traumatic, and now vulnerable people are being forced to go elsewhere for treatment. This building has long passed its sell-by date, and it’s unacceptable that Edinburgh still doesn’t have the new eye hospital it desperately needs."

Campaigners recently met with NHS Lothian Interim Chief Executive Jim Crombie and MSPs at the Scottish Parliament raised serious concerns about the implications of the closure.

Craig Spalding, Chief Executive of Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans, said: “We are extremely concerned that the health and wellbeing of eye patients in Edinburgh and the Lothians is being overlooked once again. The temporary closure of the eye hospital raises serious questions about patient care, continuity of services, and access to essential treatments.

"This building has been deemed unfit for purpose for over a decade, yet NHS Lothian is set to pour millions into patching up a leaky roof, while the entire facility remains a disaster zone."

Scottish Labour's Health Spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: "After years of the SNP dithering rather than doing these essential works, it's patients who are being forced to deal with the chaos. Patients are understandably concerned about this closure and the consequences this could have on access to healthcare.

"This SNP government must reassure those affected by providing a clear plan for patients while the pavilion is closed and a timeline for its reopening. Scottish Labour fought to protect access to specialist eye services and we will do so in future."

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “NHS Lothian has been clear that the temporary closure of the Eye Pavilion is necessary to allow urgent maintenance of waste pipes to be carried out as safely and efficiently as possible.

“The board has confirmed there is no risk to patients ahead of the remedial works and they are working to minimise disruption during the closure, including using alternative sites for appointments.

“Due to significant increases in construction costs due to inflation, and a lower than expected capital grant from the UK Government, a capital review is currently underway. Consideration will be given to which projects can be included within the revised plan to ensure it is affordable and deliverable.

“Alongside this, we are working with all NHS boards to develop an infrastructure plan - which reflects on the needs for the whole of Scotland – to support the continued safe operation of existing facilities as well as determine longer term investment priorities.”

Jim Crombie, Deputy Chief Executive, NHS Lothian, said: “The temporary closure of the Eye Pavilion and the migration of services is extremely complex and our teams are currently working through the final details of new locations. Our priority is to ensure the continuity of safe and effective care for our patients and we will provide them with confirmed details as soon as possible.

“The specialised nature of ophthalmology requires manual annotation on paper-based records which follow each individual patient as they move through NHS Lothian.

“We already provide ophthalmology care across a number of different sites, so there are processes in place to move these records between locations. Our teams are now finalising plans to increase the scale of that logistical operation.”

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