Moorfields Eye Hospital Private Clinic

I am a keen sportsman (football, tennis etc) and can honestly say that LASIK has made a massive difference. Mr Bruce Allan treated me earlier this year and he and his team at Moorfields did a great job at every stage. The initial consultation was thorough, the surgery was much easier than I thought it would be, and the results are excellent. I was pretty anxious on the day of the operation and found the way Mr Allan coached me through the treatment particularly helpful. I was at work the next day and have not looked back. Thoroughly recommended.

I chose Moorfields on a recommendation from a friend who was delighted with the results of her LASIK she'd had done a year or so back. Moorfields Eye Hospital seemed like the best place to go for surgery in terms of the quality and experience of the surgeons and the technology, along with excellent after-care. Although it was pricey, knowing that you are in one of the best places possible for correcting your eyesight was very reassuring; it was worth the money to know I was in as safe hands as possible. My pre-assessment was excellent, all the staff were friendly and welcoming, immediately putting me at ease. I also met with my surgeon, Prof. David Gartry, who answered all of my questions and I immediately knew I had chosen the right man for the job. I was very nervous on the day of the surgery, but David Gartry explained what was happening as he went along which was very reassuring. I did find the whole experience bizarre and it did sting a little tiny bit, but it wasn't half as bad as I had envisaged. The few hours after surgery were uncomfortable but not intolerable (sore watery eyes and sensitive to light), but then my eyes dramatically improved suddenly after a few hours and by the evening I was watching TV and could see perfectly! I had a check-up with David Gartry the day after the operation, and I was glad to hear everything was on track. An eye test confirmed my eyesight was basically pilot's vision! I am now on the 4th day of recovery and my eyes are only a tiny eeny bit sore and dry but they seem to be getting better day by day (all the drops they give you help this). I have another appointment in 3 months time for the final eyetest (this is when everything is properly healed and the eyesight has settled down completely from the surgery). I would say that my experience at Moorfields was fantastic and I do not regret my decision to pay that little bit extra for the best. Very pleased indeed, so far.

Had my surgery last Wednesday for my shortsightedness, on the table for 20 mins and no pain whatsoever , just a strange sensation of flashing lights and eye drops really . Came out and eyesight great just looked foggy which is normal apparently. No discomfort . It's now 2 days later and my sight is perfect. Mr Stevens is very nice, calm and reassuring so if you were nervous completely puts you at ease. Thank You so much , I still can't quite get used to the fact that I don't have to take out my lenses !! Highly recommended !

Surgery performed by Mr. Vincenzo Maurino after a number of very thorough conversations around risks and benefits. Fantastic result with 20/20 vision in just a few hours, excellent and very professional service by Moorfields staff. Great aftercare too. Highly recommended.

It's Moorfields. Biggest, safest, best respected. This is where the other laser surgeons come to learn and where there mistakes are sent for correction. Plus I only live about 15min walk away. Seemed like a pretty easy decision to me :)

I just wanted to write something positive about both Moorfields and lasik as I read a lot of negatives about both before I had my eyes done. Although comparatively expensive, the expertise at Moorfields is second to Non, Mark Wilkins was very reasuring and laid back while being informative. Without the pressure of high-street sales targets, you really get to know that facts, pros and cons about eyes surgery and after the consultation (£150) there is no pressure to go ahead with it. No glossy broshures or sports start advertising. After dealing with the high street this was a refreshing change and I was left feeling well informed about the condition of my eyes and the wavefront treatment which is something Ultralase failed to do. The nurses were amazing too. I even have Mark Wilkins' mobile number for any problems. No matter where you go, if you don't get to do a one-on-one with the man who's going to cut your eyes open, don't do it! The truth is that laser eyes surger is not really necessary and IT IS SURGERY. If you must get it done, it's hard to go wrong at a place where they work towards cures for blindness. It's been almost 2 weeks so it's still earky days but no matter what I'm glad I took the plunge and I'm glad I chose Moorfields.

Had Lasek surgery 18 months ago. It was painful and uncomfortable. I would definitely recommend that you book a week at home after surgery and have someone pick you up or help you home after surgery. For 3 months afterwards I would wake up every now and then with the sensation of painfully gritty eyes. But this side-effect was temporary and would subside about 10 minutes after waking up ... in the scheme of things, not a huge issue. Apparently, it does not make much difference which surgeon you have unless things go wrong and I was willing to pay for the guarantee of having Dr Stevens in case they did. His average results are also very good. He was fairly brief in his pre-op time given for discussion but you could say, efficient and utterly knowledgeable. His junior doctors were not so well informed and one lady even fobbed me off with false information. His receptionists (especially Janet - a star) were much better informed. Overall I received all the answers I needed (I was annoyingly inquisitive) but had the sense that as a customer of an expensive and commercial procedure, time for chat was necessarily not huge. Delighted with the results. I used to have a prescription of -2.75 and -3.00 and was completely dependent on glasses or contacts. I am 34. So pleased to have stable eyes from lasek as I do loads of outdoor activities and I can see very well (20:20). I never got used to contacts or glasses and as someone who loves to feel self-reliant, the surgery has made a tremendous difference to my life. Recommend the lasek surgery with Dr Stevens.

Expensive but wanted to go to Moorfields as they have very experienced surgeons and the latest technology. My opinion is you only have one pair of eyes. Some bits of the hospital are a bit shabby but don`t let that put you off - it is clear that Mr Maurino is experienced and has top equipment, even if the walls could do with a paint and the furniture updated. I was astigmatic in both eyes and about -3 ish in each eye. Operated on by Mr Vincenzo Maurino in mid Dec 2008. One month later eyes are slightly dry on occasion but vision pretty much 20-20. Saw Mr M last week and he said this will keep improving weekly - I agree as they are getting better as time ticks by. Fantastic result and bizarre to keep going to take glasses off (having worn them for 21 years) and they are not there. Operation is not fun but relatively quick and only real discomfort/soreness was the first evening where it feels like you have grit in your eyes for a few hours. Eyes seem to be getting better daily now - at night initially halos were quite bad around lights but as my eyes heal this improved for me. Mr M is experienced and I felt professional and looked after me well, as did the nurses who were kind. My right eye did take a week or so to be able to see sharply but I would now say it is better than the left. My advise is don`t panic if everything is not perfect on your first day after surgery. After all, any operation takes time to heal. Overall - delighted.

Firstly, a big thank you to all those who posted reviews here – they were instrumental in my decision to get my eyes corrected, where and with which doctor. And what good decisions they turned out to be!

I had my surgery with Dr Julian Stevens about 4 months ago. Before surgery I was about -5.5 in both eyes.

It all started with a round of phonecalls to the Moorfield doctors’ secretaries. I wanted to go with the one with the longest waiting list – nervous, moi? This turned out to be Dr Stevens. Cross-referenced with this site and with additional recommendations from colleagues, I decided Stevens was the man! On request, his secretary sent me out lots of useful information and based on this I arranged an appointment for assessment (£90).

On 31st March, I went along to the Arthur Steele Unit (about a mile from my home) and had a raft of eye tests with various individuals. This day characterised my whole Moorfields experience – lots of waiting around (bring a good book to your ALL appointments), lots of nice people, not enough seats. I saw Mr Stevens, who was nice and very confident, and he told me that I was basically very bog-standard and that Wavefront Lasik should give me perfect eyesight. He answered all my questions very patiently. I would deffo recommend bringing a list of questions with you to this appointment.

I decided to go for it and took the next available appointment, which due to my living nearby and due to a last minute cancellation, turned out to be 11th April. This was in Moorfields Hospital. Having handed over my two cheques (£2200 sugeon’s fee and £1087 hospital fee) I took my place in the nice 4th floor waiting room along with a few other brave souls. So much waiting around though! Dreadful. Oh well. Famous person in waiting room. Yes! After a long time, the lot of us were taken down in a lift to a grottier waiting room.

Anyway, turns out that because everyone in front of me in the queue opted for valium, I was first up! So I was straight out. I was a little unprepared because I knew others had been in the queue HOURS ahead of me. Some of those peeps were extremely on edge – I was just very nervous indeed. But a brave soul. Anyway, I followed a nice bod to a tiny, tiny operating room. So tiny! And filled with people! Maybe 4 people. It look liked a dentist’s room with lots of fancy equipment. Everyone was in green or white scrubs though, which was a bit disconcerting. So someone asked for my glasses and I took them off. Which again was a little disconcerting because I couldn’t see any thing. I think they forget that not being able to see is sometimes a bit unsettling for us short-sighted types. Well, I gritted my teeth and was guided to an almost hoizontal dentist-type chair.

Well, it was then, as I lay there not being able to see, with an assistant knocking my feet because the room was too small, that I began to laugh. I don’t know why. Just because I was nervous I suppose. I think they were all talking about football, which added to the surrealism. Anyway, the staff, including Mr Stevens, were all very encouraging and very soothing. And I soon settled down and was happy enough.

So then to the procedure! I’m afraid I can’t remember exactly what went on. All I know is that it was quick and it didn’t hurt. Like I say, I was lying on this horizontal chair. And Mr Stevens did the whole holding back the eyelids jobby, which DIDN’T hurt and wasn’t even uncomfortable! This was the bit I was dreading, you see. And I didn’t even feel like I needed to blink – it just felt almost normal. So, explaining every step as he went, Mr Stevens swung me under one machine, which did its thing. Cutting the cornea flap. Locked onto my eyeball I suppose. I think under THIS machine I mainly saw a small red dot of flashing light and everything else black. And a loud clicking noise. Or maybe that was the next one, I don’t know. Anyhoo, all that only seemed to last about 1 minute. Easy! I didn’t smell anything during the procedure, except for a horrendous sulphurous stink! What a honk! Apparently, kids in the children’s ward sometimes let off stinkbombs.

I must say, one of the flaps which had been cut proved quite tricky to lift, so Mr Stevens was bashing about in my eye for quite a while! But it was painless and just a bit odd really. And you must remember, I am a bit of a wimp myself, so it really wasn’t bad.

Anyway, I was then swung under the next machine. This one seemed to last about 5 minutes. If that. Did the same locking onto eye thing. By this stage, I was feeling a bit uncomfortable. It was a weird sensory experience for me. If you have ever been on Space Mountain in Disneyland or EuroDisney it was a bit like that, but without the rollercoaster. Slightly disoritentating, strange lights, but mainly blackness. Anyway, it was all over quickly. And then they did that whole closing of the flaps milarky. So from start to finish, my whole active Moorfields experience was maybe, 10 mins, And then…then…I could see! Yes! It was weird. Everything seemed very, very bright (remember those sunglasses!) and very, very foggy. The fog gradually liftsed as the hours passed.

I was taken to a room with Mr Stevens, for a super quick eye test. I can see! Amazing! Then I went upstairs and a nurse talked be though the different drops I would be taking and all about after surgery care. As I left with my partner in a taxi my eyes were beginning to hurt. Ouch! Too bright too. Well, of course I should have loaded my eyes up with the anaesthetic they had given me, but seeing as they had just done some I didn’t think I should. Anyway, if truth be told, I was in pain for the rest of the day. But I’m a trooper.

When I went back to Moorfields the following day, no one else in the waiting room had ANY pain issues. (I think the moral of this story then, is make sure you have enough anaesthetic BEFORE you eye gets too sore to open properly!) Anyway, at this appointment – more waiting! – they checked my eyes and did another eye test – better than 20-20! So off I trotted to enjoy my new eyesight. There followed a few weeks with various eyedrops, and sleeping with eye goggles and limited swimming. But since that first day, I had no discomfort or pain. For a while lights were a bit fuzzy.

Now, four months on, I have just had my last follow-up appointment (more waiting!). But it’s official – everything is groovy.

I can’t recommend lasik surgery highly enough. And I can’t recommend Dr Stevens and Moorfields highly enough. I would do it all again in a nanosecond. My eyesight is perfect. It has had a much more profound effect than I thought it would have. I love it. If you want to get this procedure done, go to Moorfields and go to Dr Stevens.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

I had my eyes operated on by Dr Alex Ionides in march 2007, after years of investigation & research... I got to the end of wearing glasses, breaking them, and contacts were uncomfortable, so I sold my motorbike to pay for surgery.. I used this site to make my decision. I chose Moorfields as they are deemed World leading... Dr Alex Ionides at first seemed abit washy, felt at times he did not answer my questions as direct as I would have liked, however he always replied to my emails and was very open and helpful.. Anyway, I had -3.5 in both eyes, I had the surgery, all done in about 15 mind and within3 hours I could read a licence plate across the road..... Amazing, the after drops are a slight inconvenience but a small price to pay..... once the course finished I used dry eyes drops for a few months.... I would have surgery again tomorrow if I needed, I would not hesitate.. the guy did a sterling job, perfect vision, heeled well, very little star gaze at night etc... I do find my vision deteriorates noticeably more when I am tired these days or if I am doing sports in the wind or dust my eyes get dryer than I remembered pre op, but otherwise the best 3k I ever spent, I would not hesitate to do it again... It was like a new life for me, its changed my life for sure... Ritchie