Eyesite provides complete refractive surgery solutions and the benefit of one expert surgeon from start to finish.
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Eyesite's specialist cataract surgery is customised for every patient using the latest lens implant technology.
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Eyesite's laser eye surgery and cornea transplant technology could transform your life if you have keratoconus or Fuchs'.
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Eye laser operations and lens implant surgery
Having an eye laser operation or lens implant surgery could greatly improve your eyesight and make your daily life much more fun! Laser eye surgery changes the shape of the patient's cornea whilst with lens implant technology the eye's natural lens is either replaced by a plastic version or alternatively augmented in a 'piggy-back' arrangement. Either procedure may be used for myopic (short sighted), hyperopic (long sighted) or presbyopic (reading glasses dependence) cases. Patients will enjoy a permanent improvement in their vision and in fact with some technologies such as Wavefront correction, your eyesight may be better than it ever was with glasses or contact lenses!
Before the operation, local anaesthetic eye drops are used. To perform the Lasik operation, the eye surgeon makes a flap within the cornea with either a Femtosecond laser or an instrument called a microkeratome. The flap is lifted and an excimer laser is used to permanently reshape the bed of the flap which is then replaced. The flap will adhere naturally without stitches. Eyesite patients will benefit from treatment with the two gold standard lasers of the Alcon Refractive Wavelight Suite - the FS200 Femtosecond laser for flap creation and the EX500 Excimer Laser for cornea recontouring. The EX500 is the world's fastest refractive eye surgery laser and incorporates numerous technical innovations such as multi-directional eye tracking, customisable presbyopia correction for reading glasses and several Wavefront platforms.
During lens implant surgery, a tiny incision (sometimes as small as 1.8mm) is made in the eye and delicate micro-instruments such as a phacoemulsification ('phaco') probe are used to remove the eye's natural lens. Replacement is with a sophisticated artificial lens implant customised to an individual's needs - for example a single lens implant may correct short or long sight, astigmatism, reading glasses and even some Wavefront abnormalities.
The reader will be pleased to learn that following treatment, no eye patch is necessary. Eye drops are used as antibiotics and to help the eye heal. You may choose one or both eyes to be treated at the same time - your Consultant Simon Levy will discuss which option is best for you. If you'd like more information about having an eye laser operation or lens implant surgery, get in touch with Eyesite today.
Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine for eyes and encompasses every aspect of the eye - young and old, healthy and diseased. The word 'ophthalmology' is derived from Greek - ophthalmos or eye and logos or knowledge. The science of ophthalmology includes a vast range of disciplines - the physiology (functioning), growth and anatomy of the eye, the study of eye diseases whether genetic, age related or environmental and research into new therapies. Clinical specialists in this field are known as (Consultant) Ophthalmologists. These doctors carry out medical and surgical procedures to rectify eyesight problems and treat conditions as diverse as glaucoma, cataracts, corneal diseases such as keratoconus and Fuchs' dystrophy, retina disorders such as retina detachments, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, eye cancer, uveitis and eye injuries which may be chemical or traumatic. In the United Kingdom prescribing glasses and contact lenses is normally the domain of optometrists (opticians) rather than ophthalmologists. However in Europe and the USA many eye specialists also provide glasses or contact lenses for their patients with short sight, long sight and presbyopia (reading glasses dependence).
For a small organ such as the eye (most are only about 2.5 cm or one inch long), there are a remarkable number of sub-specialities in ophthalmology! Generally ophthalmologists will specialise in only one of these - cataract; vitreo-retinal surgery (the management of retinal and posterior segment diseases and disorders such as retina detachment surgery or Lucentis injections for wet age related macular degeneration); cornea surgery (where surgeons perform cornea transplantation, phototherapeutic keratectomy or PTK for scars and look after dystrophies and degenerations as diverse as Fuchs' dystrophy, pseudophakic bullous keratopathy and cornea ectasias such as keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration and iatrogenic keractasia); strabismology or squint surgery often done for paediatric patients and oculoplastic surgery (correction of tear duct, eyelid and orbital lesions with some cosmetic procedures as well including Botox!). For Eyesite the principle areas of ophthalmic practice are cataract surgery, cornea surgery and refractive surgery - where ophthalmologists use techniques such as Lasik, Lasek, Epi-Lasik and PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) to reduce the need for glasses and corrective lenses.
Training to become an ophthalmologists takes a long time! Trainees go to medical school, then a hospital internship, next a long clinical training programme which includes one or more Fellowships to learn those vital sub-speciality skills and also often some full-time medical research either clinical or based in a laboratory. Optional extra activities are neurosurgery, neurology and general medicine. Needless to say considerable skill is required to perform delicate eye surgeries using lasers and specialist tools such as phacoemulsification probes for small incision cataract surgery. In Dr. Levy's case in took twenty years from the day he entered medical school at the Middlesex Hospital in London until the moment of becoming a Consultant Ophthalmologist at North West London Hospital NHS Trust! On the way, he did a Residency in general medicine (and acquired the MRCP(UK) diploma), some neurosurgery, spent three years on cornea research (studying the pathobiology of the corneal endothelium and acquiring an MD which is similar to a PhD), six years of general ophthalmic training, followed by two Fellowships in cataract, cornea and refractive surgery.
To find out more about the surgeries that Dr. Levy can provide to help with your eye problems, get in touch today. Simon and his staff will be happy to guide you through your sight correction treatment, and minimise the stress of your big day.
Lasik eye surgery
Lasik eye surgery is one type of laser eye surgery, others are Lasek (surface ablation laser eye surgery), Epi-Lasik (a more sophisticated type of surface laser eye surgery than Lasek) and photorefractive keratectomy (which is usually abbreviated to 'PRK'). Lasik eye surgery is used to correct problems with vision such as long and short-sightedness (hyperopia and myopia) and astigmatism as well as presbyopia (reading glasses dependence). After treatment, a patient will no longer need contact lenses or glasses to correct his eyesight - or at least he will be less dependent on these visual aids to see properly. Lasik stands for 'Laser Assisted InSitu Keratomileusis. During Lasik a cornea flap is created on the eyeball, using a Femtosecond laser or an alternative instrument called a microkeratome and subsequently an excimer laser is used to vaporise the corneal tissue underneath so as to adjust the shape of the cornea and improve vision and focus. Readers will now appreciate where the nickname 'flap and zap' comes from!
Refractive surgery patients choosing laser eye surgery procedures to correct their vision are cared for by specialist ophthalmologists trained to perform the Lasik technique. At Eyesite you will benefit from a thorough initial consultation - very likely the most thorough eye test and eye health check you have ever had - so that your forthcoming eye surgery procedure is planned perfectly. You will meet with your ophthalmology specialist Simon Levy who will examine you, discuss the results of your consultation and advise you whether Lasik eye surgery is the best treatment for you. For some patients sight correction surgery is better achieved with other techniques such as lens implants (clear lens extraction/refractive lens exchange or phakic intraocular lens insertion) than by laser eye surgery.
Laser eye surgery in London
Eyesite offers a complete range of laser eye surgery procedures and lens implant technologies at centres of excellence in central and north London. Any prescription - short sight, long sight, astigmatism and presbyopia - is treatable.
Eyesite's London-based laser eye surgeon Dr. Simon Levy was one of the first ophthalmologists (Consultant eye specialists) to perform Lasik in the UK. His career as a refractive surgeon began at Moorfields Eye Hospital in 1997. Dr. Levy specialises in the 'front' of the eye - refractive surgery, cornea surgery and eye surface disorders such as blepharitis and dry eye.
Treat yourself to Eyesite's elite London laser eye surgery practice
If you would like to learn more about our laser eye surgery services in London get in touch with Eyesite today on 020 8951 1951. To read more about the London based eye surgery services we offer, click here >>
