Ever since our opening in 1983 we have benefited from the dual Ophthalmological traditions of the two clinics that joined to form Générale-Beaulieu: the General Clinic and Beaulieu Clinic, both of which customarily performed Microsurgery on the anterior sections of the eye plus Laser Surgery and treatment. The new Clinic was established first to house the A. de Rothschild Foundation for Ophthalmological Development and then the A. de Rothschild Memorial. To this end the Clinic received a substantial donation of ophthalmological equipment at its creation. This includes the two Operating Theatres equipped with surgical microscopes, a YAG laser and facilities for phacoemulsification. Each year an additional sum is donated by the A. de Rothschild Memorial for the purchase of new equipment.
Générale-Beaulieu is one of the first clinics in Europe where phacoemulsification in its current form is being practised. This technique enables operations on cataracts by minute cuts and facilitates the rapid recovery of sight. Often mistakenly referred to by the public as "cataract removal by laser", it consists of the emulsification of the crystalline lens by a mechanical rod vibrating at an ultrasonic frequency.
At present three phacoemulsification and vitrectomy instruments are used. Each year over 1000 ophthalmological operations are performed. Of these 800 involve cataract removals by phacoemulsification. Some of the other procedures currently undertaken include glaucoma treatments, cornea transplants, re-attachment of the retina, vitrectomy and squint correction.
The YAG laser allows mini-operations to be performed inside the eye. The Clinic also has a dye laser, which permits the use of a wide range of wavelengths (depending on the retinal disorder to be treated and its location). Over 1200 laser treatments are performed each year. In 1996, Générale-Beaulieu also acquired an excimer laser with which a large number of less severe, refractive problems can be corrected (myopia, astigmatism and far-sightedness).
In addition to these highly effective surgical and therapeutic procedures, we offer sophisticated diagnostic techniques such as ultrasonography, fluorescene angiography and most recently, the scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO). The last two technologies allow the diagnosis of disorders at the back of the eye if the middle areas are transparent. Ultrasonography on the other hand supplies an extremely precise image of the eye's morphology if the interior is opaque.
Over 800 examinations of the back of the eye are performed annually by fluorescene angiography or by Scan laser. More than twenty Ophthalmologists are licensed to practise at the Clinic, and patients who visit us for our ophthalmological speciality may, it goes without saying, take advantage of our facilities in other Medical fields.
