Moorfields London is internationally renowned for its comprehensive clinical and research activities. The hospital is a major international tertiary care and training centre in ophthalmology and over half of all ophthalmologists in the UK have received specialist training at the hospital.

Together with the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, which is adjacent to the Hospital, it forms one of the world’s largest sites for eye care, education and research.

Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai is the first overseas branch of Moorfields. Moorfields Eye Hospital Centre Abu Dhabi, in partnership with United Eastern Medical Services, is the first Joint Venture of Moorfields.


Vision

Moorfields Eye Hospitals in the UAE aim to be the finest Eye Hospitals in the Middle East by treating every patient with honesty, respect and according to their individual needs.

Moorfields Eye Hospitals in the UAE also contribute to education and research programs to encourage and facilitate world-class teaching within the region.


Mission

Moorfields Eye Hospitals in the UAE have a mission to achieve

  • Operate to the highest clinical standards, following the example of Moorfields Eye Hospital London, and to meet the expectations of all patients.

  • Provide a comprehensive range of ophthalmic services for patients, as leading Eye Hospitals in the UAE.

  • Develop world-class research, working in conjunction with local partners in the UAE and the region, as well as with Moorfields Eye Hospital London.

  • Attract and retain highly qualified and experienced eye doctors in UAE as well as other vital clinical and clerical staff. The Hospitals recognise the values and contribution that each member of staff brings in order to help maintain our success as a leading eye specialist in the UAE.

Values

The Moorfields Hospital values are clear and apply to the teams in the UAE
  • Professional. Whether a Clinician adhering to the high Moorfields standards, a Patient Management Officer interpreting for a patient during a consultation, or a member of the Finance team, we will always conduct ourselves professionally in our work.

  • Friendly. Every patient may feel a little vulnerable when they come to the hospital. Our aim is to help everyone feel comfortable, always with a smile, and support all our patients during their visit.

  • Helpful. No request or task is too small for us, when it comes to helping our patients. All our staff at the Hospitals are committed to providing our patients with any and every kind of assistance they may need.

  • Safe. Patient safety is at the heart of everything we do and we ensure this through a proactive approach. For example, if we see a potential safety hazard within the Hospital, we will deal with it directly, or immediately bring it to the attention of the Operations Manager, Senior Nurse or Health and Safety link nurses.

  • Calm. Patients should leave Moorfields feeling that they have been looked after by a very confident and professional team, working calmly every day to help patients feel relaxed and reassured.

  • Positive and flexible. The Moorfields UAE team is committed to do whatever is required to provide a very high standards of patient care and customer service, and to improve any shortcoming we identify in a cooperative and non-critical manner.

Our 200 Years Heritage

At the beginning of the 19th century, ophthalmology was an unknown science. That all changed in the early 1800s as many soldiers returned from the Napoleonic wars suffering with trachoma. With the epidemic as an impetus, and coupled with the encouragement of the influential London surgeon Astley Cooper, John Cunningham Saunders founded the first hospital in the world devoted to the treatment of eye disease in October 1804.

The number of patients seeking treatment steadily increased, forcing a move to a larger site in 1822 and finally to Moorfields present main site on City Road, central London, in 1899. At this time, the first specialist departments were set up (x-ray and ultra violet treatment rooms) and the hospital was still operating as a charity where each patient received an admission card that read: “This letter is granted to the applicant in being poor. Its acceptance therefore by anyone not really poor constitutes an abuse of charity.”The decision to treat will be based on the clinical findings such as degree of ROP (stage, zone and presence of plus), rate of ROP progression, birth weight, gestational age and ethnicity.

In 1935, after a public appeal for £120,000, the George V extension was opened. This provided a new outpatient department, a new ward and an orthoptic department. During the Second World War, the hospital opened its doors to general surgical cases and most of the ophthalmic patients were evacuated out of London. Moorfields received a direct hit from a “doodlebug” in 1944 and suffered serious damage. This was so extensive that the hospital was nearly pulled down and rebuilt on a green field location. However, the site was rebuilt and in 1946 the City Road Hospital amalgamated with the Royal Westminster Ophthalmic Hospital, the Central Eye Hospital and took on the clinical facilities of the medical school for the University of London. With the formation of the NHS in 1948, Moorfields lost its status as a voluntary hospital and in 1956 was officially named as “Moorfields Eye Hospital”. In 1950, the Sixteenth International Congress of Ophthalmology was held at Moorfields and for the first time ever TV cameras were installed in the theatres to demonstrate surgical techniques.


Moorfields was redeveloped in the late 1980s allowing for the expansion into more specialist areas. The Trust responsible for Moorfields London now runs outreach community eye clinics at nine other sites where it provides a wide range of ophthalmic services.

Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai was established in 2006 to provide the same outstanding standard of care in the Middle East. Moorfields Eye Hospital Centre was established in 2015 after a clear need for better access to patient care in Abu Dhabi was identified, and to bring the Moorfields standards closer to the residents of the UAE capital.

Throughout its history Moorfields has been at the forefront of pioneering eye care and it remains one of the largest centres for ophthalmic treatment, research and training in the world. More patients in the UK go to Moorfields than to any other eye hospital or clinic because of its world-famous reputation. This is based on the expertise of its clinical staff and the cutting-edge research taking place. In fact, over half the ophthalmologists practicing in the UK, and many more overseas, have received specialist training at Moorfields