Musgrove Park Hospital has submitted an application for a dedicated eye theatre suite.
The ophthalmic theatre suite will mean consultant eye surgeons will be able to perform more operations each week.
Ed Herbert, a consultant ophthalmologist at the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said the new building is an “exciting opportunity”.
“The eye unit is the busiest department at Musgrove Park Hospital, carrying out more than 3,000 operations every year and providing nearly 50,000 outpatient appointments,” he said.
“Historically, there has always been a greater demand for surgery than we can meet, leading to long waiting times.
“With new social distancing requirements in place, as well as reduced theatre availability, our ophthalmology patients have inevitably needed to wait longer than we’d wish for a procedure.