Cataract & retina surgery on the Gold Coast & Tweed Heads

Dr Travers Weaver is a specialist eye surgeon (FRANZCO) who operates on cataracts and on the retina. He did his specialist training at Sydney Eye Hospital, where he was awarded the KG Howsam Gold Medal. He then spent two years in Vancouver, Canada, as the W.H. Ross Vitreoretinal Fellow at the University of British Columbia, training in retinal surgery. He consults at Robina and Tweed Heads, and operates at Miami Private Hospital, Pacific Private Hospital and Tweed Day Surgery.

Dr Weaver performs cataract surgery at Miami Private Hospital (Gold Coast), Pacific Private Hospital (Southport) and Tweed Day Surgery (Tweed Heads). He offers the full range of lens implants, including monofocal, toric, extended depth of focus and multifocal lenses. He is a known gap provider with all Australian health funds, which keeps the surgeon's out-of-pocket cost down if you have private hospital cover. You need a referral from your GP or optometrist.

New floaters, flashes of light or a shadow in your vision can be warning signs of a retinal tear or detachment. This is an emergency. Call the rooms straight away on (07) 5612 5200 (Robina) or (07) 5612 5222 (Tweed Heads). After hours, go to the emergency department at Gold Coast University Hospital. Do not wait for a routine appointment. A tear treated early with laser can stop a detachment from happening.

Dr Weaver assesses and treats macular degeneration at his rooms in Robina and Tweed Heads. Wet macular degeneration is treated with injections into the eye, given in the rooms, with Medicare rebates for eligible patients. You have a scan at each visit to check how the eye is responding. If you notice new distortion or blurring in your central vision, call the rooms promptly.

Dr Weaver has an agreement with all Australian private health funds. If you have private hospital cover, this can reduce or remove your out-of-pocket cost for the surgeon's fee. Your hospital excess and other doctors' fees, such as the anaesthetist, may still apply. You will get a full written estimate before any procedure. It is worth calling your health fund before your appointment to check what your policy covers.

Yes. Dr Weaver provides public cataract and pterygium surgery for eligible Northern NSW patients at Murwillumbah District Hospital. You first need a clinic appointment, which has its own waitlist, before you can join the surgery waitlist. Urgent problems are seen sooner. If you would rather not wait, private surgery is available at Dr Weaver's three private hospitals, often with little out-of-pocket cost if you have private health insurance.

Most people have a gas bubble put in the eye. You will need to hold your head in a set position for several days; the position depends on where the tear is. You must not fly while there is gas in your eye. Vision is blurry for several weeks while the bubble is there, then slowly improves over months. You are seen the day after surgery, then usually at about one week, one month and three months. Vision usually recovers better if the centre of the retina (the macula) had not come away before surgery.

Yes, you need a referral from your GP or optometrist to claim Medicare rebates. Please ask them to fax it to (07) 5612 5225 before you book. If it is urgent, such as new floaters and flashes, sudden loss of vision or a possible retinal detachment, call the rooms directly so you can be seen quickly.