London Vision Clinic

I was lucky enough to recieve my laser eye treament courtesy of LIVINGtv's Extreme Makeover programme in October 2005. However I was extrememly impressed with the pre-treatment consultation and the clear paperwork explaining the risks of the Lasik process. I was both shortsighted with astigmatism in one eye, as well as already wearing varifocals to correct age-related long-sightedness. Professor Dan took me through the rather terrifying, though short and painless process wonderfully, and though the first operation was not sucessful, his reassurance was wonderful and the subsequent proceedure in January 2006 was 100% sucessful, and a recent visit to my local optician confirms that I now have 20/20 vision with no need of spectacles or lenses. I am still benfitting from the London Vision Clinic's excellent after care, and am apprciative of all their effors and Prof. Dan's skill every morning then I can see every leaf of the trees outside my bedroom window the secoend I open my eyes... thanks you all!

Prior to surgery I visited 3 clinics to try and get a general feel of confidence that I would be undergoing the most appropriate surgery for my vision. The outcomes and clinics visited were Accuvision who suggested I undergo Lasik, Ultralase who suggested Lasek and London Vision Clinic who suggester PRK. This was the worst scenario I had hoped for, 3 clinics and 3 different suggestions. However after all the additional research I undertook I opted for the latter, London Vision Clinic. I would ask anyone who is considering surgery to pay a visit to LVC, even if simply out of curiosity. If you want to know what the best and most professional clinic feels like and what they are doing you must go to LVC. Straight away on entering one feels 100% confidence in the clinic's ability to treat you. Dr Reinstein is experienced beyond words and the whole team actually care and work together well. There are no casual workers just there because it is a job, the feeling I felt in some of the other clinics. Although I realised that PRK was what some people called older technology, I found this not to be the case. The process uses the same laser as Lasik. The simple difference being that there is no flap created as in Lasik. My prescription was approx. -6.00 in both eyes with slight astigmatism. I have my 3 month check up next week but have never seen so well in my life. I have just returned from Thailand and skiing in France and it was liberating to say the least. Some mornings when the air was still, the view in front of me was so crisp and clear I would actually stop and realise how lucky I was to have such good vision. The actual procedure took no longer than 10 minutes per eye and was painless. The after surgery care was faultless. Dr Reinstein called me the night of my surgery once I was home to check everything was OK and gave me his personal mobile number to call any time 24/7. This is unheard of anywhere else as far as I could find. One thing I must stress again with PRK at LVC, there was no pain whatsoever at any stage. In my opinion LVC are undoubtedly the most professional and best clinic money can buy in the UK. Anyone who has done their research properly will go to Dr Reinstein.

After 20 years of short-sightedness and wearing glasses, I decided to bite the bullet and look into getting my eyes 'fixed'. It was vanity that pushed me into getting LASIK, my eyes would no longer tolerate contact lenses. My prescription was right eye: -4.50 Cyl -2.00 Axis 161 and left eye: -5.75 Cyl - 1.25 Axis 17. My first port of call was my local Optical Express clinic in Glasgow (Autumn 2002). They were helpful and friendly and then told me that I was 'borderline', this was due to my large pupils. I was told that I might still have to wear glasses following the procedure. Definitely not the result I wanted. I did some more research, trawling through web-sites; reading conference papers; e-mailing clinics and corresponding with other lasik patients before I stumbled upon London Vision Clinic in summer 2003, thanks to Rebecca Petris. I went for a check with Dr Dan Reinstein who was extremely knowlegeable and immediatley put my mind at ease. It was also good to know that he would be doing the check-ups as well as the procedure. He was confident that following Wavefront LASIK, I should have 20/20 vision. After a few more months of deliberation I decided to book in for April 2004. (Thanks to a little bit of persuasion from Sarah!) I came to London from Glasgow for the treatment and stayed with a good friend who had PRK about 10 years earlier. I had a morning appointment and I don't think I have been as nervous or anxious at any point in my life - going into the 'operating room' was nerve-wracking and I even asked if I could have something to calm my nerves! Once the procedure got underway I was fine and happy to be in Dr Reinstein's capable hands. It was all over so quickly and even though my eyes were very sensitive I was amazed that I could see the clock on the wall! I was advised to keep my eyes closed for the next few hours and keep applying the various drops that Carey, the nurse, had given me. I had also been given painkillers, but I didn't have any pain at all, only a mild stinging, as if you are chopping an onion, for about two hours straight after the procedure. That evening I watched a little TV and was so amazed by the clarity of the vision. I had never been able to see like this. Dr Reinstein called me that evening to ask how I was feeling and if everything was okay. It was more than okay, it was fantastic! It is so hard to believe that a procedure that lasts less than 10 minutes can have such an wonderful results. The followind day on my return to the clinic my eyes were in great shape. I was back at work 3 days afterwards and also back driving. At the one week check-up I could see 20/20 in my left eye and 20/12 in my right. For the first week I suffered quite badly from dry eye. I was up 2-3 times each night to put in the eye drops. I also work with a PC and continued to experienced 'dry eye' for a couple of months afterwards. I also found that when I watched TV my eyes became very dry. I went through the eye drops pretty quickly and was sent a regular supply by Sarah. But it is a minor complaint and I became very experienced at putting in eye drops wherever I was! I am due to go for my 6 month check next month and the 'dry eye' has now gone completely, I will sometimes put the drops in at night if I go out, or if my eyes feel tired. One of the reasons that I chose London Vision Clinic, was the high standard of personal service offered by them. I made a few calls to Dr Reinstein at various times when I was concerned about things and he was never too busy to take my calls. I would like to thank all of the staff at London Vision Clinic, especially Dr Reinstein, Carey and Sarah, who are always happy to help and offer us an endless supply of chocolate biscuits! In all honesty I do not think that I would have received any better treatment at any other UK hospital or clinic. I have no regrets and consider it money well spent. It is still a novelty to wake up in the morning and not reach for my glasses before I get up, and to actually see the alarm clock withut having to bring it up to my face! I can now see other people in the pool when I go swimming and don't have the hassle of wet/ steamed up glasses when I am out in the rain. If you are thinking about it go and see Dr Reinstein, he knows his stuff!

Do not be afraid of PRK! At 37 years of age and a contact lens wearer for nearly 20 years i decided that i would treat myself to "new eyes". The moment Professor Reinstein told me my eye shape wasn't suitable for LASIK, and PRK would be the most appropriate procedure, my heart sank. During my research into corrective surgery I had spoken with people who said that PRK was an incredibly painful and "old fashioned" procedure. I thought seriously about sticking with my disposable lenses and glasses. Fortunately, I spoke with Professor Reinstein again and he gave me a measured view on the pros and cons of PRK and why it was the most appropriate procedure. I had no doubt that if I visited a different clinic they would have met my request to have LASIK. All the staff at London Vision Clinic are helpful and friendly making each visit there a real pleasure. One month on from my PRK surgery I am reading the 20:20 line. I suffered NO pain whatsoever thanks to the medication and follow up visits. My night vision is perfect - one of the benefits of PRK over LASIK. I would recommend anyone thinking of having laser surgery to speak to the London Vision Clinic and Professor Dan Reinstein.

I had CK treatment in October 2003. I was surprised that the treatment was completly painless. My eyes have steadily improved since then and Mr.Allamby tells me I now have 20/20 vision! Not bad for a 60 year-old!! I have never worn glasses since having the treatment and tell all my friends about it. I would thoroughly recommend the procedure to anyone who is fed up with constantly having to bring out spectacles for reading menus etc.

At the time I decided to have the laser surgery (Summer 2002) I was working on oil exploration rigs off the coast of West Africa. My work required me to switch between an airconditioned office unit and the warm moisture laden tropical outdoors. Immediately after leaving the office I couldn't see a thing because my glasses were fogged! Contact lenses were a waste of time because the chemicals used around the rig caused them to irritate my eyes. I spent many hours reading reviews of clinics on websites such as this and procrastinating over the decision!. I was very worried but in the end came to the conclusion that the risks of surgery were very small compared to the vast quality of life improvement. I used Dan Reinstein's clinic because the reviews I'd read, although few, were overwhelmingly positive, the technology bang up to date and like a bottle of Stella Artois, the treatment "reassuringly expensive!" It is over a year now since the surgery and I am very happy with the results. The surgery was carried out quickly and efficiently and the follow up appointments regular. My eyesight was -1.75 in each eye before the surgery and now needs no correction. My left eye suffers occasional dryness after "recreational drinking!!" (somekind of dehydration perhaps) and is slightly weaker than the right but these are really minor irritations. I have nothing but praise for Dan and his team - many thanks guys!."

I visited this clinic and thank God I did as Dan saved me from the archaic techniques at LCRS. I was very impressed with the technology and Dan is very charismatic. However, I opted to not have Lasik. If my eyes were worse than they are, perhaps my decision would have been different, and then I would recommend LVC. I do have 20:20 now though, and without surgery or glasses! I have since been to eye-spy.co.uk who offer Ortho-K. This is like a retainer for the eye in the form of a gas permeable lens. You wear it at night and all day long I experience 20:20 vision. It worked from the first night with me experiencing 12 hours 20:20 (and 100% vision quality) on the very next day. There is no problem with hating wearing lenses as I am asleep and pop them out when I wake up. The lenses cannot get lost in your sleep as the eyelid creates a sack. It works by minutely flattening the cornea. The benefits are that my corneas are not subjected to weakening surgery, and it completely halts regression. If I stop wearing the lenses then my eyes return to -2.75 as they are today with no further regression. This is not a new treatment and is less popular because it suits only up to -4.5 with low astigmatism and it has only been recently that the topographers were good enough to make these lenses bespoke and successful. It is also not highly profitable so not surprisingly not many eye specialists are interested in it! It costs £800 or thereabouts at Eye-Spy (the only guys I found in the UK using BE bespoke lenses). www.eye-spy.co.uk If my eyes were worse, as I said, I would be strongly tempted by Dan's clinic. However, current Lasik has simply not been around long enough to guarantee my sight when I'm old. I am not willing to be a sheep and follow everyone else merely because money has caused eye surgery to become a giant human guinea-pig test. It isn't until new techniques come about that the truth of the failings of the old techniques are fully outed. Also, cutting the flap may well adversely effect my nerve endings that tell my brain when my eye is dry - a particular problem for women as they get older is dry eye. Finally, I am not happy about the fact that the flap is replaced onto non-homogenous cornea as it sits flatter and that the cornea never truly reseals below the surface layers. Finally, what really bites is that your eyes will continue on their path and 10 years on I may need those flaps opened again. How traumatic for my poor eyes! O-K is not a forget about your eyes solution as Lasik temporarily offers, but it stops regression and is fully reversible in effect. Check out http://www.ortho-k.net/ and the FDA website if you're interested in OK lenses, and your myopia is within the range - they work and are 100% reversible. Dan promotes knowledge dispelling fear, and as such I'm sure would welcome his potential patients to look into this as a safer alternative, before opting for Lasik. So glad sites like this exist.

I had LASIK at the London Vision Clinic in January 2003. I wanted my eyesight corrected because I found it inconvenient wearing glasses and could not get on with contact lenses. I went to about 5 different clinics for pre-screening interviews and came away with the opinion that my sight would be safest at the London Vision Clinic. Dr Reinstein was the only surgeon who met with me at the consultation and he talked me through the procedure and the risks and answered all my questions. The surgery itself went well and I could see well the next day. Less than 2 days after the surgery my eyesight was as good as it previously was with glasses. My eyes were uncomfortable for about a week because of the drops I was putting in them but after that it was as if I had never had bad eyesight! I have been back for several check-ups and every thing has been fine. I would recommend LASIK and Dr Reinstein to anyone.

Earlier this year I made the decision to have laser eye surgery to correct mild myopia in both eyes (-3.0). Over the past 18 months I had been developing an intolerance to my contact lenses to the point where I could no longer wear them. Having worn contact lenses for the past 20 years this was a serious inconvenience! Having to resort to wearing glasses with 2 very physically active young children was a big problem. I chose The London Vision Clinic after performing extensive research into laser procedures/clinics. Being a Healthcare Professional myself I wanted to be sure that my eyes were in the safest, most expert professional hands. Finding a good laser eye surgeon can be a bewildering experience, there are so many clinics out there all seeming to have eminently qualified Opthalmic Surgeons. However, for me the big difference that sets The London Vision Clinic apart is the simple fact that Dan Reinstein is an expert in refractive surgery (if you check most other clinics surgeons cv's you will find that they are not necessarily primarily refractive surgeons and that refractive surgery may be only one aspect of their opthalmic career) but it's all Dan does! - He teaches others to do it! He isn't a 'contracted in surgeon' as can be the case with other clinics. In my experience he demonstrates not only a great depth of knowledge, expertise and professionalism but a deep personal committment to the work he does not only in surgically correcting visual impairments but in his involvement in research and development of new surgical techniques. I underwent surgery with The London Vision Clinic in July 2003 and it has made a huge difference in my life, my vision is now 20/12 and better now than it was wearing glasses/lenses.The operation was very straightforward with some mild discomfort during the actual procedure and a 'gritty' sensation in my eyes for approximately 6-8 hours afterwards. I woke up the next day still with some sensitivity to light but otherwise could see without difficulty (or the need for glasses!). My aftercare continues to be very thorough with regular checks by Professor Reinstein. I have had/am having a thoroughly positive experience of laser eye surgery and would absolutely recommend Dan Reinstein and The London Vision Clinic as being 'The Best in the Business!'.

I am 53 years old and had one short sighted eye and one very lazy eye, and also a high astigmatism in both eyes. I wore spectacles from the age of 5, then contact lenses from the age of 22. Suddenly, in the last 18 months my eyes would not tolerate contacts any longer so I had to wear spectacles all the time. I really hated this and therefore decided I wanted to have Laser surgery. I talked to my optician who told me to go on the Internet and "check out" the companies and surgeons very carefully. I became very despondent as I could not find anyone with the equipment or experience to correct the high astigmatism. Then I found Professor Dan Reinstein at the London Vision Clinic, who had the expertise to correct my vision.I found him extremely professional and felt at ease from the beginning. I had my surgery 4 months ago and I am delighted with the results. It is wonderful to go from being totally reliant on spectacles, to only having to wear them for very close-up work, I feel like I have my freedom back again. My brother has since visited the Clinic, has gone ahead with surgery, and is also delighted. My son (who is living in Spain) has made an appointment, and is coming to England to let Dan laser his eyes. What better recommendation than this can there be ? Definitely 5 star rating.