Mbombela welcomes a new chapter in eye care
The facility has been designed to meet international standards and to support the delivery of elite ophthalmic care in the Lowveld region.
The Lowveld Eye Institute officially opened its doors on February 20 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by special guests, including Premier Mandla Ndlovu and Mpumalanga MEC for health Sasekani Manzini.
The hospital aims to provide world-class ophthalmic care for patients in Mpumalanga, Eswatini, and southern Mozambique. The Institute was founded through a collaboration between specialist ophthalmologists and strategic healthcare partners.
The co-founders include Dr Dean van der Westhuizen, Dr Johan Eksteen, Dr Edrich Engelbrecht, and Dr Morgan Hayes, together with Xpedient Medical and GoodX Software as founding partners and shareholders. From GoodX, Kobus Wolvaardt played a key role, while André van Niekerk and Jans van Vuuren were part of the original founding team from Xpedient.
The state-of-the-art architectural design was led by Henry du Plessis of Boogertman Architects, with construction carried out by H. Kampmann Construction. The design of clinical environments, surgical workflows, and patient and theatre spaces was guided by Dr van der Westhuizen to ensure the hospital is purpose-built for modern ophthalmic care.
The Lowveld has long had a high demand for specialised eye care, yet no dedicated ophthalmic hospital served the region. Internationally, eye-specific hospitals have become increasingly common, as they improve efficiency, allow for specialised equipment, and provide better patient-centred surgical care. Recognising this need, the founding doctors collaborated to create a world-class, purpose-built eye hospital for the Lowveld.
Full-time consulting and operating ophthalmologists include Dr Dean van der Westhuizen, Dr Morgan Hayes, Dr Johan Eksteen and Dr Edrich Engelbrecht, with Dr Jakes Letsele and Dr Cedric Mabowa as additional surgeons who operate at the institution.
Services available at the Institute include cataract surgery, glaucoma management and surgery, corneal disease management and surgery, paediatric ophthalmology, strabismus care, ocularplastics, dry eye management, trauma, and emergency eye care.
In addition, Dr van der Westhuizen provides specialised surgical retinal services.
