Moorfields Eye Hospital Private Clinic

Had Lasik Wavefront on 14 July at 12.30 with Mr Gartry at Moorfields. Left eye was -4 with an astigmatism and my right eye was -6. After 2 days it would seem that my left eye has probably 20/20 vision and my right eye is even better. I am extremely pleased. The operation was painless and efficient and slightly production like which was strangely reassuring as so many people were having this surgery done. Mr Garty told me I should not have spoken to him whilst the cornea flap was being cut, being an important part of the operation. However I was not really too aware that this was being done as I felt at ease with everyone there. The initial drops prior to the op sting a little but nothing too much. You can see after the op but it is a bit like your glasses are slightly steamed up. By the evening I could see very well, enough to have been satisfied even if it never got any better. There was a slight haziness but this was probably due to a bottle of wine being downed whilst relaxing and watching a movie.By the next morning my sight was very good. Slight dryness in eyes and slight halos around lights but nothing serious. As a previous person mentioned Mr Gartry does not offer much information without being asked but when asked he answers questions fully and you are aware of his knowledge and experience. I didn't want a sales person, I wanted honest and realistic advice and felt that I got it. Like every thing else you have to do a bit of your own research to satisfy yourself that you have amde the right decision. I wasn't that bothered with wearing glasses before but felt confident in the procedures, Mr Gartry, and my own research regarding my suitability.

I had Wavefront Lasik with Mr Gartry on Sat 9th June at 3.30pm. Pre-op I was –4.25 and –5.5. My qualms about the op were unfounded – for me it was a walk in the park. I’m very pleased with the results after two days. The bad bits of the whole process were: - During the op the equipment made various noises, not loud, but made me start a few times which I don’t think they appreciated. You need to keep still. - I unconsciously kept screwing my other eye hard shut, which apparently makes the open one harder to work on. Kept gently being reminded to ‘please open your other eye’… - Post op I had a small red bruise on one eye which I was not prewarned about – but its tiny and fading fast. Apparently some people have bruising on both, from the suction used to hold the machine on tight. No pain from it though. - No-one showed me the best way to put in eye drops. A minor point. As you can see, the bad bits were not very bad. The many good bits: - I had various questions after the consultation, and decided to write to Mr Gartry before booking the op. He wrote back promptly and carefully answered each question fully which I really appreciated. - His assistant who did the Wavefront scans two weeks before the op was very helpful, friendly and explained each part carefully. - The actual op took just 20 minutes, my dad timed it. Incredible. - Mr Gartry was a very calming presence in the op room, talked calmly through what was happening which helped relax me. He even held my head gently to stop me twitching although the headrest ‘clamps’ you in. - I assumed there would be a big scary machine to get under to have the flap cut, and there isn’t. Whatever it is, its not big and the surgeon simply pops it on your eye and then off after less than 30 seconds. You can’t see anything or feel anything at that point anyway. - There was no pain at all during or after the op and right away I could see quite well. Not good enough to drive, but fine to go on the train if accompanied. Eyes got slightly ‘itchy’ after two hours but the first set of self-administered eye drops fixed that. By the evening I had good sight and watched TV, read etc with no problem. Itchiness had gone. By the next day sight was noticeably better, and the next day (today) also. - Today, two days after the op I have probably 97% vision compared to what I had with specs. Very slightly misty. Today I drove, used public transport, caught up with emails with no problems. Have to set an alarm to remind me to put in the drops. - The 48 hour check up was this morning with Mr Gartry. He was reassuring and confirmed my eyes were healing nicely and are already better than ‘driving test’ standard. Nothing like the bad experience the last writer had. Also unlike the last writers surgeon, Mr Gartry sees all his patients again after one month, not three. GENERAL INFO Throughout the op you are reclining in something like a dentists chair and the surgeon sits behind your head. There is also a nurse putting in eye drops and wiping your face, plus a third person. They all wear scrubs and masks but you don’t, just walk in and sit down. They put a hairnet on you and tape back your eyelashes on the first eye and start. The aftercare drops they give you must be refrigerated immediately after opening (which is two hours after surgery). That’s easy if you are going home to somewhere with a fridge. I was, but as the day after I was then traveling home 200 miles I had to go shopping (on the hottest day of the year!!!) to try and find ice packs to keep the drops cool on the journey. At this early stage of my recovery I would completely recommend this op & surgeon. The last writer I hope was unlucky. Check out Mr Gartrys experience on the web, I did very carefully. Although it cost more I have no regrets choosing him rather than some ‘high street’ provider. I look forward to writing here again in a month or two to confirm the last 3% of sight has resolved. If it does not, I would be slightly disappointed but not terribly – its hugely better than it was and no more specs or contact lenses!!! Woo hoo!!! BTW, one of the reasons I had the surgery was that I am a keen runner. In November, I am running the New York marathon in aid of Macmillan Cancer Relief. If you appreciate my info maybe you will consider sponsoring me here www.justgiving.com/nickbellnyc …. Cheers!

It was an extremely hard decision to make but one that I don’t regret. My myopia is considered low –3.5 in each eye, so was surgery a risk I should take? Could I be blind? Would I die? Would it hurt forever? After hearing and seeing adverts for LASIK I went for a consultation with another clinic. They said it was possible to treat me, however because I have larger pupils I may have halos/glare. I also did not meet the surgeon that was going to treat me This was what put me off. Later I read an article on the new wavefront (improved lasik) technology, it was more accurate as it overrides the problem that a larger pupil can give. Mr Julian Stevens was highly recommended by a friend of a friend who is a doctor. So I phoned them up and they told me that wavefront technology was standard. I booked an appointment (long waiting list) and met Mr Stevens. Normally I take a long time to decide anything, but I booked the treatment date straight away. He answered all my questions clearly and patiently (trust me I ask a lot of questions). Not only was Mr Stevens nice and helpful but also his staff, who answered any queries I had. I went to see my doctor and my optician and they both said that there was nowhere better than Moorfields. So three days ago (8th August) I went to Moorfields for the operation. I took a long look at my beautiful bulldog just in case I would never be able to see him again (due to my vanity) and went to the hospital. I was so nervous and my body was stiff. The operation was painless, everything was a bit of a blur but my mind was conscious of what was going on. I was so scared. The treatment went by fairly quickly. Then everything was a bit blurry, by the time I walked out of the hospital I could see most things quite clearly. On the journey home my teeth were hurting, due to me gritting them too much! Now I don’t know what all that worry is for. I feel so good I don’t have to fiddle around with contact lenses. Mr Stevens is a truly excellent and professional surgeon and the fee for the surgery was very reasonable - even less than some places that don’t even use wavefront. I can’t wait to scuba dive without my contact lenses and I can see my dog without finding my glasses in the morning!

I had LASEK done on both eyes on August 6 by Julian Stevens. I have been looking into laser eye surgery since about 1991, but had been consistently turned away as being in the too hard basket. Twice in 2002 I visited laser eye clinics and did the full basket of tests only to be turned away at the end. The last guy I saw in Harley Street was at least good enough to explain why. I had a difficult right eye with an irregular topography. It was more than the small amount of myopia, and more than the astigmatism, it was a very irregular surface. He went on to tell me that no commercial clinic in the world would be able to treat it with current technology, but there were two guys at Moorfields, Stevens and Gartry I think was the other, who were at the cutting edge globally and they might be able to help. Failing that I would have to contact a top university teaching hospital in the US to have any chance of getting laser correction. It was 6 months from first contacting Mr Stevens office to actually getting an appointment, but thankfully only 6 days later I could have the surgery. Stevens seemed to have no problem with the irregular right eye and even identified the likely cause of it, a droopy right eyelid. Because of the unusual right eye surface, LASEK was to be the operation. The surgery itself was a bit freaky, looking at a red flashing light while you see various instruments scraping across your eye.... it was a bit like I imagine looking up at an ice hockey stick moving across ice to look, as if viewed looking upwards from beneath the ice. I had both eyes done at the same time and the whole show must have taken 20 minutes all up. Results are excellent. 5 days after the op, vision was at least as good as I gould get with contacts or glasses. Make no mistake, Stevens is world class. I read up a bit on Moorfields and on Stevens in the 6 months it took to get my appointment. There are, at best, a mere handful of eye surgeons in the world with the reputation of Stevens. You combine this with the equipment in Moorfields (they quite literally have the cutting-edge, very best wavefront scanners and lasers, which you wont even see in the most expensive private clinics for 2-3 years) and I would have done the business at just about any price. In reality, the price compares favourably with more poorly equipped Harley Street clinics who dont even come close to the reputation of Stevens as a surgeon. The only unpleasant surprise for me came with the removal of the protective contact lens, on the 13th (2 days ago). Immediately prior to that moment my vision was excellent, and all the discomfort had passed, with the exception of feeling like I had dryish contact lenses in my eyes. I wasnt aware that removal of the protective contacts would set of another couple of days of discomfort. All in all, if you can put up with the significant queue ahead of you to see Stevens, the fact that for a lot of the time he is lecturing in Europe and the US on some of the pioneering work that he does, and the fact that when he is around he is invariably seeming rushed, then I recommend him to anyone who is looking for a top class surgeon or who has been put in the 'too hard basket' by commercial clinics.

I had wavefront lasik surgery on 18th August by Mr Gartry at Moorfields Hospital. My appointment was for 11.30am, went in for surgery around 12. I chose Mr Gartry after months of reading everything I could find and decided he was the one I could trust. My prescription pre-surgery was -1.75 with –1.5 astigmatism right, -2.25 with -1.25 astigmatism left. Actual surgery was very quick, only took around 15min, I found it to be totally painless with virtually no discomfort, I felt like I was just viewing something at very close range! The worse part for me was when the sticky tape was removed from around my eye that holds the eyelashes out of the way! Vision immediately after surgery was fairly blurry, was given my supply of eye drops to use hourly & goggles to sleep in by the nurse plus some refresh capsules to use on the train, as my journey home took an hour and a half. (The bottles of drops have to be refrigerated after opening, bit difficult when your on a train!). Started administering the drops as soon as I got home, vision improved and cleared after each hourly application, by evening vision was already pretty good, watched a little TV but felt pretty worn out. Used the goggles with some sticky tape for added security and managed, quite surprisingly, a good nights sleep. Next morning, vision pretty good, eyes felt a little dry, right eye slightly pink but this soon disappeared after the first lot of drops, by mid morning eyesight is incredible, everything seem so crisp & sharp, long distance especially, close vision a little less so (which could be down to my age). This hardly fluctuated throughout the day, eyes felt comfortable and only felt a little dry once. Had one small fright, a fine hair from my Persian cat managed to get in my eye, I could see it right across the centre of the eye ball, panicked slightly then remembered I was told to apply lots of artificial tears to wash any debris from the eye and thankfully this worked. Had my 48hour check up today which should have been with Mr Gartry himself, but he was not there due to a family bereavement. Check up was very quick, 5-10 minutes max, eyes examined told everything looks fine, could read the line 6/5 except for one letter, same for both eyes which I am extremely happy with, especially so soon, (6/5 was my best with GP lenses), can also read today quite easily so reading spec’s not needed just yet! Next check up in four weeks time. Eyes still very comfortable, no noticeable feeling of dryness, have very slight halo’s and starburst effect on sunlight reflections, but not anything that bothers me, (have yet to drive at night so not sure how that will be yet), in fact I could easily forget that I had had surgery at all apart from now having perfect eyesight! Two small tips, (my personal opinion), I applied the drops above the white part area of my eye, directly above the cornea can dislodge the flap should the bottle touch which can easily be done, also, I have bought a pair of almost clear sunglasses (which are all the fashion at the moment) to wear all day indoors and out for added safety, just to make extra sure nothing accidentally gets poked in the eyes! I am extremely happy with the outcome so far, to have perfect vision all the time is just awesome, Mr Gartry and his team were very professional and would highly recommend him to anyone else.

I had Lasik with Miss Ficker on Tuesay 20th August. The procedure was brill. No pain or even discomfort. I didn't even get any discomfort afterwards. I was a little confused when having the pre-op tests as being myopic I knew that I would need reading glasses afterwards which I didn't previously. The optician mentioned monovision which under corrects one eye but Miss Ficker advised agains it. It is now 36 hours since the treatment and I have wonderful long vision but I can't read any print and close up is blurry. I am slightly worried about this but I hope that it will clear sufficiently to only necessitiate reading glasses for very small print. It does feel weird without glasses but all in all the procedure was carried out very expertly and worth every extra penny. Don't take risks with yout eyes go to the best and Moorfields is that.

This is a one month follow up on my Wavefront guided LASEK operations. The slight discomfort I had felt during the second week was sorted out with another bottle of anti-inflammatory drops. Apparently Mr Stevens prefers to use drops for only one week after LASEK, while other surgeoans use them for longer, up to a month. There is a trade off between using the drops for comfort and the side effect of the drops which delays healing. But using the drops for another week instantly sorted out any discomfort. I no longer use any drops, nor do I have even the slightest discomfort. It is now 5 full weeks since the operations and as expected, vision continues to improve. My left eye no has 6/5 vision while the right is approaching 6/6. I have thrown away the glasses and contacts and associated fluids. Night vision is astonishingly good. I punish my eyes with a lack of sleep, and uber smoky eastern european bars. Yet there is no dryness, no glare, no halos, no starbursts at night. This total absense of some of the typical, negative side effects of laser eye surgery are one of the primary reasons I went to Julian Stevens. Its these little differences that make the difference for me. After all, there are a thousand places that can do your eyes, and make a dramatic improvement in your eyesight. Its easy to make the big dramatic differences. But how many of them get the smaller things right, like avoiding side effects, almost every time? And how many of them get such top quality results while deliberately taking the hard cases? Thats where the quality of Moorfields and Stevens in particular comes in to it. As someone below mentioned, you only have one set of eyes, and if you can get to see the top surgeon in the country, at the best equipped centre in the country, then why wouldnt you go to him?

My eye surgeon was Julian Stevens, I had treatment on Friday 7th October. I cannot complain about any part of the service.I had Lasik with Wavefront Surgery. I was informed about all possible problems all along the way and was able to ask questions at anytime. My eyes were measured in 3 seperate ways to ensure acurate readings. I was made to feel like an individual and not a patient. I feel happy with my sight today. My left eye remains slightly out of focus but the prescription (-4.00) was higher than the right eye (-2.50). I am told that this will settle in the coming weeks. My eyes feel a little dry but this is norma and be expected for the next few weeks. I was also told that I can walk in anytime I need to to be seen which is extremely reassuring. Thank you Moorfields and Julian for a great service.

Had Wavefront Lasik surgery yesterday at Moorfields with Mr David Gartry. Had checked out a few clinics but decided to go to Moorfields as they have the best experience and presumably you would be in the right place if anything went wrong. Mr Gartry has over 20 years of specialist interest is laser surgery - I don't believe I could have found anyone better. I opted for Wavefront as this offers the opportunity to also correct the 5% of abberations in the eye which a standard eye test cannot pick up. Wavefront is also reputed to leave less problems with the night time halo effect around lights. Felt very nervous immediately beforehand but Mr Gartry talked me through the whole procedure and told me exactly what to expect to happen at each stage. I felt very safe all the way through. Minor discomfort afterwards, mainly a stinging sensation and sensitivity to light in the first hour or so. No problems for the rest of the day, my eyes just felt a little dry at times. My sight had started to improve on the way home and by the time I atttended my follow up appointment today I could read the bottom line of the eye chart. Absolutely brilliant - I can't believe I can see this clearly without glasses or contact lenses for the first time in my life. A friend who had LASIK (but not Wavefront) surgery in August has experienced some regression and it is best to try to be prepared if this happens. I hope it doesn't though, today has been amazing and it may be some time before I stop reaching for my glasses first thing in the morning, before realising I no longer need them. I found this website useful when I was making a decision about whether to go ahead with surgery - I hope this note of my positive experience to date is helpful. If you are thinking of going ahead with surgery, take great care in finding out as much as you can about your chosen surgeon to ensure you have confidence before going ahead. Also - don't scrimp on cost - it shouldn't be a factor in your decision.

I had Wavefront LASIK with David Gartry on 28th February. I must say that everyone at Moorfields was very professional and I was seen by Dr Ilari for the initial Wavefront scan, a nice doctor from Trinidad (I think Dr Khan?) for the after care advice on the day of the operation, and of course Mr Gartry himself in the laser room, together with the charge nurse Mike Behrend and also another nurse whose name I cannot remember but I think was from NZ. All were super and very professional but at the same time friendly and chatty. My wife was more worried than I was! The actual procedure itself was simple and totally painless, not even uncomfortable. I went out to dinner with 12 friends from my Yacht Club the night of surgery and they were all amazed by how much I could see already, although distance was a bit blurred and remained so for probably a week before I was really comfortable with driving. But NO adverse side effects, no haloes or starbursts at night, no pain or even discomfort (and my wife says that like most men I’m such a baby that if it had hurt the world would have known about it…….) Before the op I had minus 8.50 right and minus 8 left, and significant astigmatism in both eyes. Mr Gartry saw me on the Monday after the op and told me I had 20/20 vision although to be honest it didn’t feel like it at the time. Now, 4 weeks later, it continues to improve and I can see far more than I ever did with glasses. My eyes water a bit in cold winds but then I suppose everyone’s do and if they are shielded behind glasses perhaps you don’t feel it. The odd day of ‘dry eye’ occurred but this has largely stopped now. I have to go and see Mr Gartry again next week and I’ll be interested to have the eye test and see what he thinks. I’m 49 and work with computers in an office, and there have been no problems on that front at all. I also sail and I’m really looking forward to getting out in the boat in the summer with no salt splashes on my glasses. I found this site to be extremely helpful and particularly to someone called Ian who had had the surgery and was kind enough to answer my email – I picked him because he had a similar large correction to mine. If you are considering it I cannot recommend Moorfields too highly. It is the best eye hospital in the world and I don’t know about you, but in this life you only get one set of eyes and if you can have the best then that’s for me and so far at least it seems that Moorfields and Mr Gartry is just that. Some may balk at the fee but any professional at the top of their profession charges accordingly. From my own professional knowledge I can assure you that you wouldn’t get a top London QC to even open his door to you for what Mr Gartry charges for the op. A couple of tips that you may find useful. Make sure you have a coffee before you arrive at Moorfields as theirs is from a machine and it is truly disgusting. There’s a Starbucks down the road. You may also find a cheap pair of swimming goggles useful to keep the water out of your eyes when showering during the week after the op. Make sure you get a brand big enough to cover your eyes without pressure on the lids. I used Adidas ones at £9.99 from JJB Sports. If anyone has any concerns please email me and I’ll try to answer. This cynical, seen it all before and don’t trust anyone 49 year old is truly amazed with the result. Early days yet, of course, but all seems fine so far.