Ophthalmology
Our specialist-led veterinary ophthalmology team offers a dedicated service for the diagnosis and treatment of all conditions involving the eyes.
Our highly-qualified and busy team is led by eye specialist James Rushton, supported by skilled ophthalmologists Simon Hitchen, Ruby Shorrock, Matthew Dobson and Raul Sanchez.
Between them, our eye vets treat a huge variety of conditions and enjoy nothing more than saving or restoring a pet’s sight.
Pets with existing or suspected eye conditions will have an initial consultation between 10 and 40 minutes, where will take a thorough history and examine your pet carefully. We will always discuss potential costs, outcomes and possible risks.
Your pet may need to stay with us for investigation and treatment after the consultation. We have extensive hospitalisation facilities to care for your pet if they do need to stay with us.
Range of treatments
Our team offers a range of treatments for common eye conditions including:
- Eye ulcers
- Cataract surgery
- Glaucoma (increased eye pressure)
- Cherry eye
- Dry eye
- Entropion (eyelids turning in)
- Tumours within the eye
We use additional instrumentation to give a detailed examination of the eyes and support the diagnosis of your pet’s condition. Some of these will be used during your ophthalmology consultation but others may require your pet to be admitted to hospital for further investigation.
Ophthalmology Team
James Rushton
DVM DipECVO MRCVS PhD
Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Ophthalmology
RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Ophthalmology
Head of Ophthalmology
Prior to moving into private referral practice in the UK, James attended the Veterinary University Vienna for 13 years between 2003 and 2016, where he completed veterinary school, a rotating internship, a PhD and a residency.
Aside from his practice work, James is also the research committee chair for the International Equine Ophthalmology Consortium (IEOC) and is involved in committee work with the European College of Veterinary Ophthalmology and the British Association of Veterinary Ophthalmology.
He is the eighth diplomate to join Paragon since it opened its doors in February 2018.
Simon Hitchen
BA VetMB Cert VOphthal MRCVS
RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Veterinary Ophthalmology
Simon qualified from Cambridge University in 1996 and joined Calder Vets in 2000.
Simon enjoys all aspects of veterinary work but has a special interest in ophthalmology. He gained the RCVS Certificate in Veterinary Ophthalmology in 2006 and is recognised by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons as an Advanced Practitioner in Veterinary Ophthalmology.
Simon enjoys the daily challenges that referral cases in ophthalmology bring.
Outside work Simon has two young boys and two cats to keep him on his toes!
Ruby Shorrock
BVMS BSAVA PGCertSAOphthal MRCVS
ECVO Resident in Ophthalmology
Ruby graduated from the University of Glasgow in 2016 and spent just over 2 years in general small animal practice.
Ruby then went on to complete an Ophthalmology Internship at the Animal Health Trust before spending a year as a Junior Ophthalmologist at Park Veterinary Referrals. She joined Paragon in January 2022 and was accepted as a Resident in July 2022.
As a self-confessed cat lover, Ruby has two disabled house cats at home.
Matthew Dobson
BVetMed BSAVA PGCertSAOphthal MRCVS
RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Veterinary Ophthalmology
ECVO Resident in Ophthalmology
Matthew graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2016. He spent three years working in mixed practice in North Yorkshire, before moving to a referral clinic in Bristol to pursue his interest in ophthalmology. He completed an ophthalmology internship in 2019, then stayed on to work as a full-time veterinary ophthalmologist. Matt completed his BSAVA ophthalmology certificate in 2022, becoming an RCVS Advanced practitioner in Veterinary Ophthalmology in 2023.
