Taipei Fine Arts Museum

Division of Ophthalmology, Taipei City Hospital

The Ophthalmology Department carries out the tasks of patient care, research and teaching as a general teaching hospital should. It is divided into four center: the Corneal Transplantation Center, the Retina Center, the Oculoplastic Center and the Eye Care and Pediatric Ophthalmology Center.

I. Corneal Transplantation Center
The cornea, smooth and clear as glass, strong and durable, helps the eye by shielding it from germs, dust and other harmful matter. It acts like a window that controls and focuses the entry of light into the eye. Opacified corneas prevent light from reaching the retina, which results in blindness. The purpose of corneal transplantation is replacing the patient’s opacified cornea using a donor’s clear cornea. This procedure provides a new clear window that allows light to be transmitted into the eye to reestablish the patient’s vision. We have been cooperating with Love Blind Association to provide a corneal transplantation service since 2003, and we offer the cornea free charge if the recipient has financial difficulties.

II. Retina Center
The population is aging in Taiwan and the incidence of retinal diseases accompanies this increase and takes the from of age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, hypertensive retinopathy, etc. On the other hand, retinal detachment plays an important role because trauma and high myopia are common in Taiwan. Our retinal center provides all kinds of professionally medical services based on the nature of disease. We also provide photodynamic therapy for the exudative type of age-related macular degeneration. Since 2004, we have cooperated with the Love Blind Association to provide financially strained patients with a free photodynamic therapy (PDT) service.

III. Oculoplastic Center
We supply high quality cosmetic surgery in the form of blepharoplasty and repair to patients’ traumatically damaged eyelids in order to prevent further eyeball injury. We provide an orbital and ocular plastic service for patients who have unbdergone removal of orbital tumors, repair of orbital trauma, and recanalization of nasolacrimal duct obstruction.

IV. Eye Care and Pediatric Ophthalmology Center
High myopia in a young population and poor vision in aged population are two topics of public health concern re ophthalmology in Taiwan. Our eye care and children’s ophthalmology center provides low vision care and childhood ophthalmic screening that allow the early discovery of medical problems, the solution of these problems or the development of alternative plans.
We offer medical and surgical care toi more than 15000 patients with ocular disease ever month. The department performs ocular surgery in operating rooms at the six branch hospitals equipped using the most advanced equipments, including refractive surgery, phacoemulsification, endolaser and vitrectomy, PDT, etc. In addition to laser electrophysiological equipment, the department has automated perimetry, fluorescent angiography, ultrasonography, a Pentacam, a HRT II, etc.
This department also provides a range of medical training or educational programs for medical students (clerks, interns), residents and physician candidates for subspecialty training. Different training programs are available not only to hospital staff, but also to those outside the hospital, not only inmedicine practices, but also members of other medically-related disciplines.