General Chat

Written by one of my clients who was fitted with the controversial MPlus X lens in 2014.

'In March 2016 I underwent a lens explant procedure at Moorfields NHS Eye Hospital on my left eye, attempting to correct some of the numerous debilitating issues resulting from the lens exchange surgery (RLE) carried out by Optical Express. The MPlus X multifocal lens was removed and replaced with a long distance lens and ten days ago the stitches were removed from the cornea.

To date, I have found the quality of my vision has not improved, if anything, the distance vision has deteriorated, with added blurring and shadowing. My near vision has remained relatively good with the right eye but I do not have the benefit of binocular clear vision, and I have a huge smudgy, blurred thick vertical spot in my near vision which has neither improved or worsened.

However, I am finding the peripheral starbursts from left eye have become less distressing and I do not see the painful ‘diamond ring’ with the same frequency.

I am now waiting to see the Ophthalmology team at Moorfields to establish if glasses would further assist my vision. Of course it may be too early to predict what my long distance vision will be like as I adjust to the new 'engineering'.

Over the past few months I have tried to re-engage with my passion of arts, especially drawing, and I have found it difficult to focus. Last week I attended a course on graphic design and biomorph drawings in Granada and returned utterly depressed. I was unable to see any of the lecturer’s notes on the board and failed miserably to keep up. If the class room lights were bright, glare limited my vision, if the lights were lowered then I was unable to follow my own work with clarity. A large component of my work was in geometry, fine points and fine lines were extremely difficult to see both on the lecturer’s board and on my own desk.

Visits to museums and galleries were saddening as I found myself walking 'in a bubble’, unable to judge colours shapes and distance with much clarity. Any diffusion in lights made my vision even more distorted and occasionally I was unable to move due to disorientation. I had to move closer to see displays, but due to protection boundaries placed in front of the exhibits I often could not appreciate the enormity of the works on display.

During my recent Granada visit (and others) I was unable to participate in any event after sunset as I could not judge the distances and overall environment, which made me feel extremely vulnerable and angry. I am also no longer able to take my family out after sunset or to low light condition events that we previously loved and cherished.

The whole experience leaves me grieving for my loss and cursing those who have robbed me of my gift of clear pain free vision.'

Following Daniel Boffey's exposé in the Observer/Guardian in January 2015 *, OE made this claim to the Optician online **:



Someone was telling big fibs because the MHRA unarguably DID launch an enquiry after hundreds of 'yellow card' medical device adverse incident reports were filed!

I will publish an update on this in due course

* www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/03/...-but-all-blurred-now
** www.opticianonline.net/oe-fights-back-intraocular-lens-claims/

What kind of surgeon (besides those at OE) with any respect for his/her profession - AND for the patient - would agree to operate on anyone's healthy eyes needing only +1 reading glasses?

A greedy and unethical media junkie - presumably!


twitter.com/OERMLuk

Can't wait to name and shame this cowboy

TV and radio presenter Anneka Rice complains of worse vision as a result of laser eye surgery last year!

Yet to find out who her surgeon was, but trust me I will
www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-35537...obing-questions.html

I am recovering from a major operation six days ago (not eyes) and need to take things slowly for a few weeks.

For the time being I can only spend a very limited time each day working but will answer/approve messages in due course.

Normal service will be resumed asap

Optical Express you really are scum of the earth !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The way you operate is disgusting, your day will come...

This is what your eyes are worth to OE employees - a 50" TV and a bonus

The 'switch' refers to customers who walk in to an OE store to purchase specs or contact lenses and are persuaded to buy refractive surgery instead.




NB: David Carson was Operations Director at OE but left in September 2015. He now works for Boots Opticians.

Cosmetic surgeons could be struck off for flouting new guidelines...

'Doctors will be told they must not offer procedures through discounts, time-limited deals, refer-a-friend offers, gift vouchers, loyalty cards, or as a prize.'

'Animals have got more protection' (see video on Sky link below)

If the GMC are willing to take this stance on cosmetic surgery then why have they not done the same for refractive eye surgery? Instead, they continue to dismiss complaint after complaint against ophthalmologists who leave patients irreparably damaged!

Even worse, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists elevate some of these same surgeons to positions of influence on College committees and exam panels - a case of the blind leading the blind methinks!
news.sky.com/story/1651000/crackdown-on-...-plastic-surgery-ads

admin wrote: Optical Express are advertising for a solicitor with, 'a solid understanding of medical malpractice, personal injury and litigation...

This alone would make you steer clear of letting this company operate on your eyes.

When I have spoken to their customer advisers I am told there are never any problems, so why would OE need such a legal team ?

Optical Express are advertising for a solicitor with, 'a solid understanding of medical malpractice, personal injury and litigation...
Able to prioritise busy workload...'

I especially like this line, 'Assisting the legal team with a variety of tasks, primary focus on UK-wide medical malpractice claims to handling legal cases from the early to later stages. Responsible for drafting Letters of Response to Letters of Claim and handling discussions with Panel Solicitors and Insurers and Direct Patient Complaint Letters prior to any litigation commencing'!

Says it all



www.scottishlegal.com/2016/03/23/solicitor-optical-express

The failure of worldwide government health agencies to regulate refractive eye surgery makes them responsible for many deaths on the road!

• The article is from 1994. The same is happening today with lasik, lasek, prk, icl, relex smile.
mattmcmahon.com/eyeknowwhy/public.htm
American Journal of Ophthalmology journal,"Keratorefractive Surgery, Success and the Public Health", March 1994, P. 394 by Dr. Leo Maguire, Mayo Clinic.

"A keratorefractive (Radial Keratotomy, RK) patient may simultaneously be happy with the result of surgey and have degraded vision - How can refractive surgey be a potential public health problem if patients are happy with the results? Inherent in this question is the assumption that a patient without complaint is a patient without optical degradation. That argument does not hold up to closer scrutiny. The keratoreractive literature contains disturbing examples of patients who have visual handicaps that place themselves and others at significant risk for nighttime driving accidents and yet that are happy with the results.

A recent study of patient satisfaction after radial keratotmy consisted of 100 former contact lens patients who underwent radial keratotomy. Comlaints after radial keratomy were rarely mentioned spontaneously, but when elicited, the study found a high complaint rate. Of the patients 10% complained of glare, 7% of "suboptimal visual acuity," 5% of astigmatic blur and headache, 3% near-vision problems and 2% photophobia. Fifty percent complained of "impaired night vision." Half of that group needed spectaces for night driving. Six percent decided against operation in the fellow eye. Despite these findings, 93% of the patients perferred radial keratotomy to contact lenses."

"We are led to the conclusion that patients will tolerate degraded optical quality (including functionally significant aberrations in night vision) for improved uncorrected vision. They are happy now but how safe are they on our highways at night? How safe will they be when cataract-induced aberration compounds the glare and aberration effects of the cornea; and when early macular disease begins to reduce compensatory mechanisms in the retina?

We need answers to these questions because in 30 years one in four drivers on the road will be older than 65 years."

• The new FDA LASIK Quality of Life Collaboration Project found high incidences of halos, glare, starbursts, etc...
www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMe.../LASIK/ucm190291.htm
LASIK Quality of Life Collaboration Project
"Based on our initial analyses of our studies:
Up to 45 percent of participants, who had no visual symptoms before surgery, reported at least one visual symptom at three months after surgery.
Participants who developed new visual symptoms after surgery, most often developed halos. Up to 35 percent of participants with no halos before LASIK had halos three months following surgery.
Up to 30 percent of participants with no symptoms of dry eyes before LASIK, reported dry eye symptoms at three months after their surgery. This is consistent with previous studies.)"

• FDA releases LASIK patient survey warning of large numbers of dissatisfied patients
www.eurotimes.org/node/1603
" These include haloes at up to 35 per cent, followed by starbursts at up to 28 per cent, glare up to 16 per cent, and ghosting up to 6 per cent."