Private eye care for Balsall Common
Balsall Common has a direct train service that solves a problem several of the villages around it don't have an answer for: how to reach a consultation without driving. That single fact is why this page exists apart from Solihull's, even though the two towns are only a few miles apart.
Photograph by User:Hassocks5489, via Wikimedia Commons · CC0
If you drive
Take the A452 Kenilworth Road to the Stonebridge interchange, then the A45 past the airport and Solihull towards Edgbaston. It is a reasonable road outside peak times; the M42 at junction 6 is worth switching to only when the A45 is heavy with airport or NEC traffic, which is a real and frequent enough reason to name it.
If you don't drive
Berkswell station puts Balsall Common in a different position from most of the surrounding villages: the train to New Street runs direct, no change, in around twenty minutes at the fastest, roughly every half hour through the day. It is a small halt rather than a suburban interchange, though, and parking is limited — around 85 spaces, allocated first come, first served, and it can fill before nine on a weekday morning. If someone is dropping you at the station rather than you parking there yourself, that limit does not apply to you at all.
The drops
You will have dilating drops at a first appointment and should not drive yourself home afterwards. Coming by train removes the question entirely — you are not driving either way. If you drove to the station or all the way to Edgbaston, arrange for someone to bring you back, or plan to collect the car another day.
Meriden, Temple Balsall and the villages around
Berkswell village itself is a few minutes from the station, an easy walk or a short lift either way. Meriden, Temple Balsall and Eastcote are all close by road, but several have no bus service worth planning a journey around, so for patients in these villages a taxi or a lift is the straightforward answer rather than public transport. The drive to Edgbaston from any of them is the best part of half an hour — worth mentioning to whoever you ask, so they know what they are agreeing to, and worth remembering that the trip has to be made twice, out and back, because of the drops above. Most patients here come after a routine sight test in Meriden or Balsall Common village, and it is worth asking for your prescription history before you book.
Getting there
- By train from Berkswell station
- About 20 minutes direct to New Street, then one stop on the Cross-City line to Five Ways
- From Balsall Common village centre
- About 5 minutes to Berkswell station
- By car via the A452 and A45
- About 25–30 minutes to Edgbaston, longer at peak times
- From Meriden
- About 10 minutes to Berkswell station, or 30 minutes by car via the A452 and A45
Your nearest clinics
Edgbaston Eye Consultants
22 George Road
Birmingham B15 1PJ
Where you can see Ms Jiang
An interactive map of the clinics. Every clinic is also listed in full below, with its address and consulting times.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Cartography by Protomaps
Two minutes, no obligation
Not sure whether a consultation is worthwhile?
Answer a few short questions and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth coming in. It takes about two minutes and is not a medical assessment.
This questionnaire is not a medical assessment and does not tell you whether you can have surgery.
What treatment costs
Your exact costs are confirmed in writing before anything is booked, and nothing is charged before you have had them in front of you.
Laser eye surgery
£1,295per eye
Laser vision correction is elective and is not usually covered by private medical insurance.
Premium monofocal lens
The lens used for cataract surgery or refractive lens replacement, set for one working distance.
from £2,795per eye
Multifocal lens
The lens used for cataract surgery or refractive lens replacement, focusing at more than one distance.
£3,595per eye
Lens surgery for spectacle independence is not usually covered by private medical insurance.
Implantable contact lens
£3,395per eye
YAG laser capsulotomy
from £395per eye
Your exact costs are confirmed in writing before anything is booked. Nothing is charged before you have had them in front of you.
Common questions
What happens at the first consultation?
The first appointment takes about 45 minutes and is with Ms Jiang herself, not a delegate.
- A discussion of your symptoms, your general health and what you want from your vision
- A full examination, including measurements of the eye and its focusing power
- Dilating drops, which blur your vision for a few hours
- A frank conversation about the options, including doing nothing
- A written summary sent to you and, with your consent, to your GP
Because of the dilating drops, you should not plan to drive yourself home.
Do I need a referral from my GP?
Not for a self-funded consultation — you can book directly. If you are claiming on private medical insurance, most insurers require a GP or optometrist referral before they will authorise the appointment, so check with your insurer first.
Do you accept private medical insurance?
Note that refractive lens exchange carried out to reduce dependence on glasses is generally not covered by insurance, as it is considered elective. Cataract surgery usually is.
Can I come for a second opinion?
Yes, and you are welcome to. Bring any measurements, scans or correspondence you already have. Ms Jiang is happy to review a plan made elsewhere and tell you whether she agrees with it.
Arrange a consultation
Enquiries are answered within one working day by Ms Jiang’s secretary.
Considering treatment, and based in Balsall Common?
Send Ms Jiang’s practice a message and we will come back to you within one working day.