A leading London-based eye hospital is calling for tighter regulations and stricter credentialing in laser eye surgery, reporting mounting numbers of misinformed and outright damaged patients arriving for help at their doorstep after poor care on the High Street. With a rise in horror stories from large clinic chains and confusion as to what qualifications are needed to perform 'LASIK' procedures, the London Eye Hospital in Harley Street backs calls for a comprehensive, compulsory register of practitioners.
All 'laser eye surgeons' are required to be qualified doctors and to be registered with the General Medical Council. The GMC will not, however, be able to shed light on what training they will have undergone specifically in Lasik ('Excimer') treatment. Confusingly, the 'Lasik Eye Surgeon' may not be a 'surgeon' at all. The Royal College of Ophthalmologists did introduce a certificate in laser surgery, but only 29 surgeons took the exam in 2009, 13 in 2011, 5 in 2012 and (as far as we can ascertain), none in 2013 or after that.
According to Bobby Qureshi, Medical Director at the London Eye Hospital, where all surgeons are required to be on the General Medical Council's Specialist Register for ophthalmic surgery;
"Laser eye surgeons are, at present, only required to be registered as doctors; no specialist qualifications are legally required out a laser eye procedure. And with those who trained abroad, it's even more difficult to establish levels of expertise in specific treatments such as LASIK. This makes a central register all the more important, as it gives patients the tools to check exactly in whose hands they are putting their vision.
"We have seen a rising number of people arriving at the London Eye Hospital who have previously been given inaccurate information or poor care at High street clinics, and we strongly believe that it is time for this industry to be taken to task."
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists suggests anyone considering the operation should ask their surgeon for details of their training, qualifications, length of practice and results. They consider a suitable surgeon as one who performs as least 500 eye operations a year, ensuring they are experienced and up to date with current developments. Ideally, they should be or have been a fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists or the Royal College of Surgeons.