Review of Moorfields Eye Surgery
Moorfields Eye Hospital enjoys a global reputation for providing world-class laser eye surgery.
Moorfields Private is the private arm of the renowned Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and offers ophthalmic care to patients seeking a vast range of treatments for both common and complex eye health conditions.
Today, Moorfields has a number of clinics around London – located in the City, the West End, Bedford and Croydon – and treats around 400,000 outpatients and 30,000 inpatients each year.
☀ Pros: World-class reputation, highly experienced eye surgeons, central London locations, advanced technology
☂ Cons: No fixed prices (fixed by the surgeons), no monthly payment options, no free consultation
☝ Compare clinics: See if there are any other top-rated clinics near you, and use our simple tool to receive a personalised quote.
Our no-nonsense review of Moorfields Private and Moorfields NHS Eye Hospital covers:
- Moorfields Private Eye Hospital
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Moorfields laser eye surgery cost
- What laser eye surgeries are offered?
- Moorfields’ best consultants
- Moorfields laser eye surgery reviews
- The Verdict
1. Moorfields Private Eye Hospital
For patients who fail to meet NHS requirements, or for those looking for treatments left off NHS checklists (such as refractive surgery for the average glasses-wearer), Moorfields Private is a viable option.
Private laser eye treatments at Moorfields include the most common surgeries such as PRK, LASEK and LASIK, as well as specialist procedures for more complex conditions. Private patients also benefit from Wavefront guided surgeries, which tend to have higher success rates due to greater laser accuracy.
In addition to providing high quality treatment and aftercare, many patients like to know that the profits from Moorfields Private are used to fund the Moorfields Eye Charity, Friends of Moorfields, which supports critical new research and quality eye care for children and adults.
2. Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
If you happen to suffer from a select range of debilitating eye conditions that cannot be treated by contact lenses or glasses (such as cataracts or glaucoma), you may be one of the few people who qualify for laser eye surgery on the NHS.
Moorfields’ NHS Eye Hospital is there for these patients, but for the vast majority of us, Moorfields Private has its door open.
3. Moorfields Laser Eye Surgery Cost
While NHS treatment is free, at Moorfields Private prices will apply to all consultations and surgeries.
Laser eye surgery costs at Moorfields start at £2,000 per eye for common laser eye surgery such as LASIK or LASEK. These prices rise to between £3,000 and £4,000 per eye for more complex procedures including cataract surgery.
An initial consultation at Moorfields is around £150, and the private prices will depend on the eye surgeon you choose. That’s because the laser eye consultants are employed by Moorfields, and set their own fees.
Consultation costs
- Consultation: £150 – £200
Patients considering laser eye surgery usually book one to two consultations prior to receiving treatment. You can book your first appointment on the Moorfields Private website.
Treatment costs (per eye)
- LASIK or LASEK eye surgery: £2,000 – £2,500
- Refractive lens exchange (RLE) or cataract surgery: £3,000 – £4,000
- ICL implantation surgery: £3,000 – £4,000
Other costs
In addition to these costs, you may also need to consider covering your potential stay in the hospital for private treatment. Moorfields Private hospital fees tend to range from £900 to £1800, depending on the procedure.
However, recovery times vary, and many eye treatments allow you to leave following the surgery. Naturally, there are no hospital fees for NHS patients.
Other options?
Moorfields Private Hospital offers some of the latest laser and implantable contact lens treatments performed by world-class consultant eye specialists, and these prices reflect the clinic’s high standards.
However, if these costs are outside your budget, or you would like to compare them with other leading laser eye surgery clinics in the UK, click here to fill in a few details, and talk directly to a trusted clinic to compare their quotes and services.
To see how other eye laser surgery clinics compare with Moorfields Private, just click here to use our simple quote tool, and receive a tailored quote from any trusted clinics near you.
Paying for treatment
Opting for laser eye surgery is a financial commitment for most people, and Moorfields offers three ways of paying for your treatment:
- Private Medical Insurance – If you are covered by private healthcare, Moorfields asks that you try to verify these details before your first appointment, and obtain your pre-authorisation number.
- Self pay – Many patients pay for their own treatment, with no private insurance needed.
- Third party sponsorship – If a third party (such as your employer) has agreed to settled your account, make sure you acquire a letter of guarantee along with a deposit.
Read more: Laser eye surgery costs explained
4. Laser Eye Surgery Treatments
Moorfields Private Eye Hospital provides over 100 vision correction treatments for adults and children of all ages.
Here are some of the most requested types of laser eye surgery treatments:
- LASIK: The most common treatment to correct eye conditions such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.
- LASEK: A surface laser treatment that is suitable for patients with thinner corneas (eye surfaces).
- Cataract surgery: A refractive lens exchange (RLE), which is an option for those in the “reading glasses” age group.
- ICL surgery: Implants that work like permanent contact lenses are common for younger people, or patients with medical dry eye conditions.
Moorfields Private Hospital usually performs laser sight correction surgery to both eyes on the same day, but with cataract surgery and ICL implantation, most surgeons prefer to leave a week between operating on each eye for their patients’ comfort.
5. Moorfields’ Top Surgeons
Moorfields Private and Moorfields Eye Hospital claim their ophthalmic surgeons and consultants are some of the best in Britain, and six Moorfields Private surgeons were recently named in the Daily Mail’s top doctors list.
Within the industry, Moorfields is also the go-to for ophthalmic expertise: a recent Moorfields report shows that over half of all registered ophthalmic surgeons in the UK received their training there. Not surprisingly, many Moorfields consultants also completed their training onsite.
Plus, based on hundreds of unfiltered reviews from former patients, Moorfields hosts some of the top-rated laser eye surgeons in the UK.
Here are the five best consultants at Moorfields, as voted by you:
- Mr David Gartry: As one of the first surgeons worldwide to perform laser eye surgery, they don’t come more experienced than Mr Gartry.
- Mr Julian Stevens: Mr Stevens is an advisor to the British Society for Refractive Surgery, and is recognised globally as an expert opinion leader in laser eye surgery.
- Mr Bruce Allan: Mr Allan had been the Service Director for Refractive Surgery at Moorfields since 2012.
- Ms Valerie Saw: Ms Saw’s interests lie in inflammation and scarring of the eye, and she regularly treats patients for dry eyes and conjunctivitis.
- Mr Alexander C. W. Ionides: Since 1989, Mr Ionides has specialised in cataract and refractive lens surgery for both long and short sighted conditions.
Read more: Laser Eye Surgeon reviews
6. Independent reviews of Moorfields Private Eye Hospital
Moorfields consistently receive fantastic customer reviews, making them one of the highest rated laser eye providers in the UK. Click here to read their customer reviews below.
Moorfields Eye Hospital Private Clinic is also featured as one of Lasik Eye’s best laser eye surgery clinics in the UK, as well as shining in our list of the best laser eye surgery in London for partnering with some of the most renowned surgeons.
What makes Moorfields Eye Hospital so popular?
- History – Moorfields Eye Hospital first opened in London in 1805, and is now one of the oldest and best reviewed eye hospitals in the world.
- Ophthalmic Research – Moorfields has spent over 200 years researching and providing the latest laser eye surgery and implantable contact lens treatments, in partnership with the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.
- Cutting-edge technology – Moorfields Private is a flagship location for laser and implant manufacturers. Its surgeons are therefore able to choose from the latest state-of-the-art laser eye equipment and non-invasive techniques like Intralase technology.
- Patient care – The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rates Moorfields Eye Hospital as ‘outstanding’ for care in their latest inspection report.
But is Moorfields Eye Hospital right for you?
Not everyone is best suited to Moorfields: as you would expect, world-class laser eye surgery often comes with an eye-watering price tag.
- Expensive treatments – Although patients tend to leave rave reviews, LASEK eye surgery costs on average £2,235 per eye at Moorfields Private, but between £595 and £1,595 per eye at other leading high street eye clinics such as Optical Express.
- No free consultations – Moorfields Private is one of the few laser eye clinics in the UK not to offer free initial consultations: you can expect to pay between £150 and £200, depending on the surgeon you see.
Next Steps: Find the Top-Reviewed Clinic Near You
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Next steps: Our simple tool helps our readers every day get one step closer to 20/20 vision:
- Find a top clinic near you: Answer three questions to be matched with the leading eye clinic in your area
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Moorfields Surgeons Reviews
Mr Alexander C W Ionides
BSc FRCOphth MD.
Mr Vincenzo Maurino
Mr Bruce Allan
MD FRCS FRCOphth
Mr Stephen Tuft
Professor David S Gartry
MD, FRCS, FRCOphth, DO, BSc(Hons)
Mr Julian Stevens
MRCP, FRCS, FRCOphth,DO
Moorfields Eye Hosptial Reviews
Pieris Christou
Hi,
I was treated by Alexander Ionides at Moorfields for eye surgery. The procedure I underwent was LASEK as I wasn’t comfortable having a slit cut in the cornea (LASIK). During the surgery, Mr Ionides walked me through every step of the way and this helped me to feel at ease during the procedure. The operation took about 1-2 minutes per eye so I was in and out of the operating theatre within 10 minutes. I was given a range of eye drops to use over the coming weeks. After 5 days, I went to see Mr Ionides to have my protective contact lenses removed. I would then continue to see Mr Ionides for my 1, 3 and 6 month checkups.
After 3 months, I found my right eye to be lagging (or so I thought). Much to my surprise my left eye had exceeded 20/20 vision whereas my right eye was sitting pretty at 20/20. With that said, the truth was that my left eye had become ‘super’ resulting in me thinking my right eye was lagging in recovery. After 6 months, the right eye has now caught up and both my eyes exceed 20/20.
I could go on and on but to summarise here are my key praises for Mr Ionides.
+ Pre-surgery, happy to answer any questions and concerns (of which I had many)
+ Walked me through the surgery as I’m undergoing the procedure so no surprises
+ Post-surgery, again, happy to answer any questions or concerns and has his door wide open for patients
+ Has a plethora of experience in this field
I’m currently sitting here 8 months into having LASEK and I can say that I have absolutely no regrets. I would wholeheartedly recommend Mr Ionides to others looking to have refractive eye surgery.
Edward Griffiths
Treatment at this clinic was great. I was nervous having the treatment never had any eye issues before but the team were professional and courteous and made me feel at ease and informed throughout the whole process. Thank you!
Alastair Gunn
To date this feels like the best £5,000 I’ve spent for a very long time. I found the whole process from a no obligation consultation, to treatment and aftercare very professional and reassuring. All the staff I met were incredibly helpful and flexible in accommodating my questions and scheduling treatment / check-up’s. The actual surgery is over very quickly and for someone who is a complete wimp, who cannot stand anyone near his eyes, it went incredibly smoothly. In some part I have to attribute this to the calm manner in which my surgeon (professor Gartry) goes about his work – I almost could have been buying a paper at the local newsagent. I spent more time discussing eye drops than being treated. I was worried things would be more complicated and painful, given LASEK requires a week off work, the need to wear protective contact lenses for 5 days and a lot of eye drops to manage pain and dry / itchy eyes. In reality, the surgery was quick, including fitting contact lenses which I have never been able to do before. You can see straight away – so it isn’t a week of blurred vision bordering on blindness. I never had any real pain or discomfort, partly because the eye drop schedule means your always on top of it. So you may ask why do you need a week off work? The answer is threefold:-
1) Your vision is blurred for a few days and looking at direct light (TV’s / pc’s etc.) is tiring.
2) you do have to take an awful lot of eye drops for the first few days, so not a lot of time to do other things
3) Its just sensible to keep your eyes away from dirty environments and allow them to heal
Three months on and my vision is still improving. -8.0 in both eyes is now -0.25 / -0.5 and I neither need glasses in general or for reading.
Thank you Moorfields / Professor Gartry and good luck to anyone reading this.
Phil Smith
I had my surgery with Mr Maurino a couple of years ago. His pre care and post care were nothing short of brilliant, including a follow up query many months after the surgery. I knew exactly what to expect with my LASEK surgery thanks to the information provided in advance and my eyes to this day have great vision
Lydia Sutton
I had my eye surgery completed by David Gartry at Moorfields Eye Hospital– he was the only name that I was recommended over and over, and for good reason.
The pre-surgery examinations were thorough and the surgery itself was so much smoother than I thought possible. I definitely felt like I was in great hands and the results were amazing.
I would recommend this surgery to anyone, the whole process was swift, completely painless and I felt very well looked after throughout.
Leena Patel
I could not be any happier since having my laser eye surgery. From being extremely reliant on my contact lenses for 14 hours a day, I now have better than 20/20 vision.
The care I received was beyond excellent, both before and after the treatment.
Thank you
Mohammed Nazrul Islam
I had crosslinking done a while ago for my keratoconus, a successful procedure professionally executed by Dr Romesh Angunawela. Unfortunately I was too late as the bulge of the cornea has frozen prior to the crosslinking. I’m considering intacs but will need to pay a return-visit to Moorfields soon. Thanks again!
Jean-Philippe Verdier
Amazingly efficient, effortless and secure process, with outstanding outcome.
Carly
Mr Allan and his team have been amazing and I cannot thank them enough for the difference it has made in my life so far.
To be able to get up and not reach for my glasses in the morning and to take part in sport without worrying about losing a contact lens is life changing.
I have received the best care both pre and post surgery and everything has gone brilliantly.
Mr Allan is great at explaining the pros and risks to the surgery and throughout the whole relatively quick procedure I felt completely at ease.
If you are thinking about laser surgery I could not recommend any better than Mr Allan and his team.
Alasdair Gill
Summary – I had LASEK and am extremely pleased (occasionally even smug) about the result. If you’re thinking about corrective eye surgery then I’d encourage you to do it but would strongly suggest going to Prof. Gartry rather than one of the High St. bucket shops.
I’m a 45 year old who’d worn glasses since the age of 8. I used to have fairly severe myopia with an astigmatism in my right eye. I’d also worn soft contact lenses for sports. I chose Prof. Gartry based on a lot of research and recommendations from friends who’d had LASIK – I’d been a little cautious about surgery and didn’t want to run any risks with something as important as my sight.
My reasons for surgery were:-
* With my prescription, glasses were getting to be seriously expensive so surgery made economic sense
* I like to play golf / sail / climb mountains and glasses were a real pain (golf in the rain / dropping glasses in the channel when hanging over the side etc.)
* Mid-life vanity
Key points about the whole experience are:-
* The initial consultation was extremely helpful. With my particular prescription there were a couple of options that might be appropriate and Mr. Gartry talked me through the various possibilities, the pros and cons and what that might mean in the future. It was very helpful to talk with someone able to perform all of these options with no pressure to choose any particular one.
* Communication from all of the staff was extremely swift. It was also very helpful because unlike every other eye specialist I’ve seen the staff are extremely knowledgeable. Based on the initial consultation I decided to ‘mock up’ how my sight might turn out from one of the options using contact lenses and the staff talked me through that. Ultimately though I ended up opting for LASEK (sic) which was the option Mr. Garty had first suggested although I’m glad I at considered and checked out all the other possibilities as it gave me a lot of peace of mind that I was doing the right thing.
* Moorfields is a bit of a maze so allow plenty of time to find the right place. I arrived early despite getting lost downstairs and was greeted by a very cheerful chap who asked me whether I’d like to come down straight away or would prefer a cup of coffee first. Unlike some other healthcare facilities I’ve seen (both in the UK and the US) surgery seems to be properly scheduled so they aren’t rushing and there is plenty of time per patient.
* Drugs – I don’t know what the protocol is for the other types of eye surgery but I got a ‘goody bag’ of assorted drugs / drops for post operative care. I’d seen the instructions for these before and there was a dedicated member of staff to take me through all these / answer any questions but a couple of practical tips:-
i) Do what the instructions tell you. I followed them almost religiously and didn’t have any discomfort at all except when I had to travel and missed a couple of doses drops while being driven. Soon resolved when I started following the instructions again.
ii) Take somebody with you to listen to the briefing. At least for the first few days the protocol changes and there’s quite a lot to remember. You do have comprehensive instructions but for the first few days it’ll be tricky to read these so having somebody else listen to the instructions can help. (Suggestion for improvement – can the instructions be printed in a large font?)
iii) Get yourself a simple timer. For the first few days you’re going to be putting in a lot of drops. For me this got really tedious very quickly (and was probably the worst thing about the whole experience) but having an alarm set for your next dose helps.
iv) I wouldn’t recommend travelling very far for the first 24 hours after your surgery because this could make it tricky to stick to your drops schedule. Taxi / get driven to a London hotel is probably most sensible.
If you’re worried about pain / discomfort you needn’t be. The supply of assorted painkillers is plenty and, in the unlikely event you run out / have problems, you’re given phone numbers to call to resupply / get taken care of. A friend’s family recently had surgery elsewhere and I was horrified at the comparatively primitive aftercare.
* Surgery – I had been slightly apprehensive about this part and had the same hospital type dramas as the rest of you. Basically I wanted the result and the surgery was a necessary evil I was trying not to think about / grin and grit my teeth. What I hadn’t realised is that the surgery itself is nothing like TV documentaries. The most uncomfortable part was the anaesthetic drops at the start – that stung – but that was the last thing I felt. By the time we moved to the second eye I needed a little more anaesthetic because I thought I could feel something but another couple of drops and I couldn’t feel a thing. Visually, you’re not going to see any big scary equipment. Once you’re lying down it’s a bit like doing a glaucoma test (in the sense of looking at what appears to be a bright light-bulb) while lying down except you don’t have the irritating puff of air. You do get a running commentary from Prof. Gartry telling you what he’s about to do and what’s going on but without that you’d be hard pushed to figure out what’s happening because all you can really see is the bright light above you.
* Other comments:-
i) As I had LASEK it did take quite a while before I had perfect vision. I did have to run a conference call the week of my surgery (somebody decided I was indispensable) but to be perfectly frank, if you spend a lot of time reading documents / looking at computer screens you’re not going to be very much use. Even the second week was challenging so I’d suggest taking two weeks out. Possibly a good excuse for a holiday as during the second week the only problem was not being able to drive / read small text for long periods.
* As I’d been warned, my vision was VERY variable initially – ranging from waking up and being able to read the titles of books across the room through to something akin to being without glasses. When I first drove at night I also found I saw a slight double image of headlights but this went away after a few weeks. In my case my vision continued to improve for a couple of months.
* Make sure you get yourself a good pair of sunglasses – I was really quite sensitive to light for the first week or so (even indoors) and ended up wearing my sunglasses most of the time.
Results – I was lucky enough to end up with eyesight good enough to fly a plane / join the space program and I no longer have to wear glasses for anything at all. Apart from all the obvious advantages here are the things I most notice:-
* Colours / the world in general seems much brighter – probably because I always used to view the world through quite a thick layer of optical material with assorted coatings.
* It’s so much more convenient never having to clean glasses. No more stopping to clean them in the gym either. Am convinced this saves me a lot of time in general – little thing but it makes a difference.
* Wider field of vision – I now notice things either side of me – esp. while driving. Probably worth being aware of when you start driving again as I found roadside adverts a distraction.
* I’m quite enjoying being able to choose sunglasses I like (I’m in California for a couple of months). Also feel quite smug seeing upscale opticians in Palo Alto and realising how much I’m saving by not needing frames / lenses any longer.
* I get sunburnt less – suncream, sports and glasses are a tricky combination but it is now comfortable to wear SPF50 and I no longer miss bits round my ears / nose.
* Don’t have to worry about seawater and contact lenses when sailing.
* Still sometimes find myself looking for my glasses / looking over the top of my glasses at people (I wore them for 40 years) but then realise I can see.
* Quite enjoying feeling smug when pointing out small roadsigns while my (fully sighted) girlfriend is still trying to work things out from the satnav. Also quite helpful to be able to stand at the back of a crowd and read airport departure boards (I’m 6′ so can see over the top)
* Now the important stuff – golf! I had hoped that having a complete field of vision rather than only having good vision directly through my glasses (as well as high refractive index I also had smaller lenses to reduce edge thickness / weight) would improve my short game. It may have done a little but the two key changes were:-
i) a little more distance! I definitely wasn’t expecting this but now I’m not trying to keep my eye on the ball while looking through small lenses I suppose I must just be swinging a little faster. This certainly tallies with the advice from Callaway when I got my driver fitted a couple of years ago (‘hit it!’)
ii) Vast improvement in putting. Despite taking putting lessons about five years ago and having my putter tweaked I still used to be very pleased to two-putt and wasn’t that disappointed with three. Frustratingly I even used to miss little one footers / practical gimme’s. Now from within a yard or so I’m pretty confident it’s going in. I’ve also started holing some long putts. Not sure why this should be the case but it’s obvious enough that it’s been noticed by my playing partners.
Apart from anything else, golf in rain or hot sunshine and humidity is now fun!
Many thanks for fixing my eyes, Al Gill / ‘el Bandito’
