Facts about the Eye Clinic Sulzbach
In recent years we developed into one of the largest and fastest growing ophthalmic hospitals in Germany with 24,000 operations per year in 7 new, state-of-the-art operating theatres. The Eye Clinic Sulzbach is renowned far beyond national borders. Each year, 37 specialised practitioners and a dedicated team of nursing staff treat 50,000 outpatients and 6,200 inpatients. Among the medical staff there are renowned experts, operating in 18 special consultations and 3 wards.
We are specialised in and renowned for innovative and micro-invasive eye surgery. This comprises laser cataract surgery, non-penetrating glaucoma surgery with microcatheter and stents, 27gauge vitrectomy and endoscopic retinal surgery, subretinal surgery for macular degeneration, lamellar corneal transplantation, laser keratoplasty, endoscopic tear duct surgery and modern refractive surgery. We are recognised as the largest vitrectomy centre in Germany with more than 2,200 vitrectomies per year.

Hotel-feeling at our first class ward

To provide an exclusive choice for patients, first class rooms are available in our private ward offering a serene environment for our patients. We constantly strive to deliver the highest quality of service to meet our patients’ needs.

Overview

• Maximum trans-regional treatment
• One of the largest eye clinics with 22,000 operations in 7 modern eye surgical facilities
• Specialised in minimally invasive surgical methods which are significantly more gentle
• 40,000 outpatients in 16 outpatient clinics and special consultations
• 5,200 inpatients in 3 stations with 74 beds
• Research focus on new surgical techniques
• Many patents
• Reference centre for renowned medical technology companies
• Over 200 scientific publications

Contact
Secretariat
 Tel. 06897/ 574-1119

Our innovative treatments / Overview of highlights

Retinal surgery
Retinal surgery is a traditional focus of the clinic. With over 1,700 large retinal surgeries (vitrectomies), the clinic has been the largest retinal surgery centre (for large vitreoretinal surgery) in Germany since 2015. With 6 fully licensed retinal surgeons, we guarantee 24/7 availability, 365 days a year for emergency retinal surgery for the German Southwest.

Retina Chip: New hope for the blind
After 18 years of research, a groundbreaking innovation is available: An innovative retina chip is implanted into the eye and can stimulate the affected retina with electric impulses. For the first time, we can provide patients who have been blinded by a severe retinal disease with orienting sight. We are one of the few centres in Europe, which implement the new retina chip.

Gentle Glaucoma Surgery with Micro-catheter
We are specialised in the new, so-called non-penetrative interventions for glaucoma. Advantages of this are a significantly more gentle surgical method, higher success rate and a significantly shorter healing process. Modern canaloplasty is most commonly implemented. With almost 2,000 interventions, we have the most experience in canaloplastic surgery worldwide.

Gentle Partial Corneal Transplantation (DMEK)
We are specialised in the new DMEK procedure for corneal transplants, in which we only replace the affected cell layer and not the whole cornea. The healing process is thereby reduced to a few days, instead of over one year as was in the past. We already have over 10 years’ experience in this procedure and actively participated in its scientific further development. Over 10,000 transplantations worldwide have been conducted with our DMEK micro injector system, which we first developed in 2011. With 200 treatments a year, we have become one of the leading centres for partial corneal transplantations in Germany. Patients all around the world are interested in this innovative and gentle surgical method.

Excimer Laser Corneal Transplantation
In 2011, we became the first clinic to implement the new PALK excimer laser technology for “perforating keratoplasty”. This allows for faster healing and better sight.

Laser Partial Transplantation (Femto-DALK) for Keratoconus
With a gentle laser partial transplantation of the cornea, the natural endothelial cells (pump cells) can be preserved. We implement the newest eye laser technology (German reference centre).

New: Clean Room Tissue Bank
With the opening of Germany’s first clean room tissue bank for partial lamellar transplants, the eye clinic plays a pivotal role in the development of corneal transplantations in Germany as official partner of the largest German tissue network (DGFG). The cornea bank is specialised in the production of highest quality cutting-edge clean room partial transplants (DMEK). It is the first tissue bank for preloaded DMEK.

Corneal Stem Cell Therapy
The most severe corneal diseases may, in many cases, be gently treated with stem cell transplantation. The procedure is employed for chemical burns, burns and inflammations.

NEW: Femto-Bowman Transplantation
A full corneal transplant can often be avoided with the new Bowman transplantation for the treatment of keratoconus. We execute the revolutionary treatment for the first time with the laser.

Macula Centre Saar
We operate one of the largest treatment centres for macular degeneration in Germany. We treat 10,000 patients per year. We use the newest and scientifically suggested treatment protocols and medicines. Furthermore, in the framework of the VISYOnet, we founded a quality association with over 160 ophthalmologists in order to provide our patients with the highest level of close to home care. Moreover we offer specialised surgery for macular degeneration, which is only available in a few centres.

Laser Cataract Treatment
For the first time in Saarland and Rhineland Palatinate we can gently treat cataracts with the laser rather than the scalpel. We hereby implement the first low-energy femtosecond laser in Europe, which introduces considerably less energy into the eye than first generation femtosecond lasers. We are European reference centre for this revolutionary new technique.

Plastic Reconstructive Eyelid Surgery
With our specialised surgical team, we cover the whole spectrum of eyelid surgery: From tumour surgery over extensive lid reconstruction, correction of eyelid malpositions and orbital surgery to cosmetic operations and minimally invasive treatment with anticonvulsants.
We execute over 1,000 operations on lids, eye cavities and tear ducts per year. As one of the few centres in Germany we have, since 2013, the official certificates for “oculoplastic aesthetic surgery” (BDOC) and for “special plastic reconstructive and aesthetic surgery” (DOG, BVA). Since 2013 we are an official education centre of the German Federal Association of Ophthalmologists (BDOC).

Endoscopic Tear Duct Surgery
New: Clogged tear ducts can now be especially gently opened with a minimally invasive endoscope. The endoscope has an extremely thin diameter of merely 0.8mm, so that the entire tear duct canal can be probed. With the endoscope, congestions or constrictions can be localised without a scalpel and can be severed with the micro-drill. The advantage for the patient: This treatment is exceptionally gentle and leaves no scarring.

3D Femto-Lasik for Laser Eye Correction
There has also been a revolutionary innovation: With the new low-energy femtosecond laser, laser eye correction is considerably gentler and more precise. The laser cuts are significantly finer than with conventional femtosecond lasers and use only a tenth of the energy. The Sulzbach Eye Clinic is the European reference centre for this revolutionary new laser treatment.

Presbyopia Treatment
What most people don’t know: Our treatments are not limited to near and farsightedness. Presbyopia can also be well corrected nowadays. Alongside the laser procedures, we also use modern lens implants. For a life without reading glasses!

Reconstructive Trauma Surgery
Our specialised surgical team is devoted to the reconstruction after the most serious of eye injuries with special reconstructive techniques in both the anterior and posterior segments of the eye (reference centre for artificial iris).

Leader in retinal surgery
Our eye clinic has also enjoyed an excellent reputation in vitreoretinal surgery for many years. We are specialised in minimally invasive, 27gauge vitrectomy and have developed several surgical tools. In many cases we can prevent blindness or improve the patient’s vision. We offer a particularly gentle procedure thanks to the instruments we insert into the eye: they now only have a diameter of 0. 4 mm. The advantage for our patients is that the wound no longer requires stitches. The eye heals much quicker; patients feel less pain and can be discharged from the clinic earlier. We also successfully use this microsurgical technique for the treatment of retinal detachment, for retinal disorders caused by diabetes and for the removal of membranes which can form on the retinal surface. We are recognized as largest vitrectomy center in Germany with more than 1,700 vitrectomies per year.

Knappschaft Eye Clinic - a long tradition
The roots of our Knappschaft Eye Clinic stretch back to the 1920s. The miners’ guild (Ger: Knappschaft) set up an eye clinic in the centre of Saarbrücken as early as 1927. The clinic established an excellent name. It was the only eye clinic in Saarland at that time and was considered a pioneer in ophthalmology. The clinic in Saarbrücken was completely destroyed during the Second World War and was then provisionally housed in the Knappschaft military hospital in Sulzbach. The original provisional location finally became today’s Sulzbach Eye Clinic in 1988. Since 2010 the eye clinic has grown, nearly tripled the number of patients treated and enjoys an outstanding reputation far beyond the borders of Saarland.