With 20 years performing vision correction surgery under his belt, Mr Julian Stevens has been a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital since 1988.
The good news? Mr Stevens makes the list of the 10 best laser eye surgeons in the UK, based on thousands of patient reviews since 2002. Hundreds of former patients have left positive reviews, praising his surgical skill and caring manner.
Is there anything I should know? You’ve probably already guessed this, but Mr Stevens’s experience and prime London address also makes him one of the most expensive eye surgeons around. As with all Moorfields surgeons, his prices can be double that of competitors.
So is he the one? If you would like a second opinion, you can find the top-rated eye surgery clinic near you using our simple tool here, and book a free consultation with an eye expert to discuss your options.
1. About Mr Julian Stevens
Julian Stevens won a scholarship to study Medicine at Merton College, University of Oxford, where he was then awarded a Postmaster scholarship. He graduated top of his year in 1980 and was awarded the Oxford University Prize in Medicine for the top First Class Honours Degree.
He continued his clinical medical training at Clare College, University of Cambridge and at the Cambridge Medical School. Higher training was undertaken at the Oxford Eye Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital, London.
2. Training
After completing his general ophthalmic surgical training, Mr Stevens undertook two years of sub-specialist training, with Fellowships in Lens, Corneal and then Refractive Surgery at Moorfields Eye Hospital.
Mr Stevens was appointed as Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital in January 1996. His main interest is laser refractive surgery.
He has been involved in the development and application of wavefront refractive surgery and has personally performed over 10,000 wavefront procedures. Mr Stevens was the first Director of Refractive Surgery at Moorfields Eye Hospital.
3. Qualifications
Mr Stevens joins Professor David Gartry in being one of the UK’s most qualified eye surgeons. He is an examiner for the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and holds the Certification of the Royal College in Laser Refractive Surgery. He is an advisor to the British Society for Refractive Surgery and is on the Board of the International Society of Refractive Surgery.
He has won prizes from both the American and the European Societies of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons. He is the recipient of the 2007 American Academy of Ophthalmology (ISRS/ AAO) Lans award for innovation in refractive surgery.
Internationally recognised as an expert opinion leader, Mr Stevens has published peer reviewed papers on refractive surgery and is regularly invited to deliver keynote lectures at national and international ophthalmic meetings.
Mr Stevens trains Ophthalmic Surgeons in advanced refractive and cataract surgery. He founded the Moorfields basic and advanced IntraLASIK courses and the Moorfields wavefront training course for Ophthalmic Surgeons.
4. Patient Reviews
“My husband and I had lens replacement by Mr Stevens last year, and are both thrilled with our results. After years of wearing glasses, we feel liberated from them from the moment we wake up. I would personally recommend Mr Stevens, and would not hesitate to refer any of my family to see him when the necessity arises for them to seek eye treatment.” – June Clayton
“I had LASIK in 2005, performed by Mr Julian Stevens at Moorfields Eye Hospital. I have absolutely fantastic vision and it stills shocks me just how well I can see. The procedure was quick and painless, and Mr Stevens and his team made me feel at ease throughout the whole process.” – Rosie
“Mr Stevens 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.” – Andrew James
5. Prices
As you would expect at Moorfields Private, Mr Stevens does not come cheap.
Laser refractive surgery costs twice the quotes at other leading UK clinics, although the prices for lens replacement surgery are only around a third more, given the higher base cost of the lens itself.
- Consultation: £150 – £600
- Wavefront laser refractive surgery: £4,370 – £4,970
- Refractive lens surgery: £3,825 – £4,430 (per eye)
- Cataract surgery cost: £3,825 – £4,430 (per eye)
Unlike at many other clinics, initial consultations with Mr Stevens are not free – you’ll be paying between £150 and £600, depending on the surgery you’re interested in. If you would prefer to have the option to pay monthly for your surgery, it’s worth looking around, as Moorfields will need the full payment up front. At Optical Express or Ultralase, for instance, you could pay around £50 a month for two years.
6. The Verdict
So, is Mr Stevens the right eye surgeon for you? Of course, that all depends on where you live, and what you’re looking for. His prices are some of the highest in the industry, but he can also justify them, as one of the UK’s most qualified surgeons.
You’d be in trusted hands with Mr Stevens. That said, with eye surgery considered a safe elective surgery by the General Medical Council (GMC), no one should feel obliged to spend any more than they are comfortable with. You can always attend free consultations with a range of surgeons to see where you feel most comfortable.
☝ To find a top-rated laser eye surgery clinic near you, just click here to use our simple quote tool, and receive a tailored match and quote from a clinic you can trust.
Mr Julian Stevens Reviews
Sharon
Absolutely brilliant – after wearing glasses for 25 years it’s amazing to now have better than 20/20 vision. Would recommend highly recommend.
Lesley Bakalar
Excellent LASIK outcome – Mr Stevens went above and beyond with a long term inflammation issue too. Very pleased with service of Julian and his staff.
Jessica Seddon
I cannot recommend this treatment and Julian Stevens enough. The process has been completely flawless and my vision has improved from -8 to better than 20:20 in a matter of weeks.
The procedure itself is very quick and pain free. Before I had the treatment, I was told that the recovery period for this particular treatment takes longer than others however I only experienced a couple days of discomfort (namely watery eyes), and from there recovery was rapid.
Julian’s staff are also excellent; very attentive and helpful.
All in all a great experience and I would recommend to anyone considering the treatment.
Dean WINGROVE
Should have had this done a long time ago. All very professional and helpful. Information given to all aspects. My job as a golf professional means that my sight is so very important , this has made all the difference to my job and life itself. This is the best thing I have ever done regrading my health.
Julian Stevens was fantastic, helpful and very professional.
Christopher Straessle
Thank you to Dr. Stevens for a tremendous job in correcting my vision. It has been 18 months now since I received my treatment and my vision is excellent. I was very happy with the entire process and always felt that I was in good hands.
The first week is painful, as it always is, but I have felt my vision getting better every week and it’s been wonderful since. No issues or longstanding problems.
I would highly recommend Dr. Stevens and this laser eye treatment!
Kevin Synnott
I have naturally reduced vision and the iCl implants give me better vision than both glasses and contact lenses, My vision is the best it has ever been and I can’t thank Mr Stevens enough, this has been life changing. During the procedures I never felt a thing and they were done under LA. My vision is much better than when I wore glasses and contact lenses and I would recommend Mr Stevens to anyone who is thinking about having ICL implants.
Lisa
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I had LASEK surgery 6 months ago with Julian Stevens and it has been the most liberating decision I have ever made (not saying it wasn’t a difficult one). It’s an amazing feeling being able to wake up and go to sleep without having to worry about my contact lenses.
I was recommended highly to Mr Stevens by a number of friends and another surgeon who works in the eye industry, this made my decision to put my trust in him easier.
I had many queries about the surgery as it was not an easy decision to make. During my initial consultation Mr Stevens came across extremely knowledgeable and professional and answered as many questions as he could. His team were all very friendly and put me at ease. I had waited many years to have this done and I am so glad I finally did and am so thankful for such a great outcome. I thank Mr Stevens for the time and care him and his team put into my procedure and the all the aftercare. I would 100% recommend!
James elsey
I had a Wavefront Surface Guided treatment in May. The whole experience went extremely smoothly – I was kept informed and assured throughout. The procedure was quick and painless, and Mr Stevens has an excellent conduct, meaning I felt confident and calm before, during and after this process.
The results of the procedure have been as good as I could have possibly hoped – my vision exceeds 20-20 and I can enjoy life in new ways.
Anonymous patient
Mr Stevens is a highly reputable surgeon. Before going ahead with my laser eye surgery, I put my whole trust and faith in him especially after reading good reviews about him on various websites.
I never thought that a day would come when I will be one of the few people to submit a bad review about him. But I feel obliged to do so after such a horrific experience, which was in fact quite emotional and life changing.
Mr Stevens may have a high success rate, however, please do be aware that if anything does go wrong (or not as expected), YOU WILL BE LEFT COMPLETELY IN THE DARK with no explanation, acknowledgment or any sympathy.
He would not even acknowledge the fact that you did not get the expected result and would more likely make you feel as if you are a stupid psychotic patient, experiencing things that are unreal! and this is the last thing that any patient wants to go through especially when they are unwell.
Despite going through hell after my laser surgery and having a poor visual outcome, I still put my trust in him. I was very patient, calm and waited for him to give me an explanation. I would not have even submitted such a review if he at least ACKNOWLEDGED the poor outcome. But instead I felt that his attitude completely changed after the operation did not go as expected; he was more rushed, dismissive in my appointments and insisted that things were COMPLETELY fine.
I hope the rest of the refractive surgeons in the ophthalmic field do not lack accountability as Mr Stevens does, and I do hope that no one will have to go through my journey.
ak
Had Lasek (no flap, cornea is scraped instead). based on reviews, expecting horrible pain during recovery…No pain at all so didn’t use any of the pain management drops /pain killers provided. Other than mild stinging and blurred vision and a bit of ghosting got first 4 days, all good. little to no light sensitivity. vision in left eye is still a little blurry after 8th day of surgery but right eye almost clear. Surgery more uncomfortable than painful, just felt a little sore but no pain. Would recommend 100%
