TOPIC:

ITV's This Morning presenter Philip Schofield irritating the hell out of me again recently, not least because - claiming to be 'at the cutting edge’, he continues to promote eye surgery to his fans, who lap up every word as gospel, when he really doesn’t know what he’s talking about

July 2020, during lockdown, when countless thousands of people were dying, this selfish man was whining that his vision had ’slipped’ since his freebie #lasereyesurgery a number of years earlier (performed by Dan Reinstein & featured on This Morning), complaining to co-host Holly Willoughby, ‘the laser place isn’t open!’, who sensibly responded: ’I like glasses!’

A few months later, he was whinging about floaters again!

This self obsessed diva is now posting about having had a vitrectomy, claiming, 'If you have been told "just live with them" that is not necessarily true, I’m sure there are exceptions, but they can be fixed.'

In fact the majority of people do have to live with floaters, unless so debilitating that they seriously affect their quality of life, or, like Phillip Schofield you have enough money to get what you want - not what you necessarily need!

And if Schofield gave a flying f*ck about anyone else other than himself (crocodile tears on screen don’t move me), I trust he wouldn’t be clamouring for attention in this pathetic manner, when there are countless numbers of people with far worse problems than his, many of them My Beautiful Eyes Foundation clients!

'Adamant that he was not suffering from retinal detachment, Schofield described his floaters as having “literally blighted my otherwise brilliant eyesight.”’*

This begs the question, how did his eyesight become ‘brilliant’, given his moans in July 2020, as surely he'd have milked it if he'd had more laser surgery?

'Phillip Schofield to be first Brit to have pioneering eye surgery as he reveals debilitating condition’**

For the record, Schofield was far from being the 'first Brit', and how long can a procedure be termed ‘pioneering’?

Regardless of which, I have no doubt that GPs, optoms, and retinal specialists (besides Prof Stanga, presumably now inundated with private consultation bookings) won't thank him for encouraging requests for surgery that most people cannot have, contrary to ‘Dr' Schofield’s expert opinion!

Media personalities should NOT be advertising ANY surgery, nor claiming to be experts at the 'cutting edge’!

And instead of posting topless selfies on his Instagram, methinks Schofield would be better employed inviting Dan Peedell (and others damaged by London Vision Clinic owner Dan Reinstein) to share their experiences on This Morning.***

Greg Brady’s story re AccuVision and Prashant Jindal also ignored by the media, though widely published by the mainstream press a few months ago.

Similarly, Paul Dance’s suicide, a result of devastating results of his lens replacement surgery at Optegra Eye Hospital, persuaded by their highly paid Clarivu brand ‘ambassador’, This Morning presenter Ruth Langsford, telling everyone, ’Do it, do it, do it!’.
Paul’s tragic story was TV sofa gold, yet totally ignored by the media.****

And my invitation in 2019 to guest alongside Dan Reinstein withdrawn by This Morning, after the cowardly doctor refused to appear with me, highlighting the fact that TV producers consider promotion of #refractivesurgery more important to viewers than educating them about the very real risks, and irreversible damage that so often happens, not forgetting the cost to the NHS!*****

All the above stories, and thousands more, are worthy of a seat on TV sofas, instead of giving free fluffy publicity to surgeons who continue to damage patients’ eyes, often in litigation, and successfully kept from public consumption.

Time for balance not bias!

* www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1641...y-symptoms-treatment
** www.ok.co.uk/tv/daytime/phillip-schofiel...on-floaters-22842211
*** 2 February 2020: www.opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk/ind...london-vision-clinic
The Mirror took Dan Peedell’s story offline due to complaints from Dan Reinstein. However, it's available to read here: www.pressreader.com/uk/the-people/20200202/281840055651824
**** www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-55079239
*****17 Oct 2019: www.opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk/ind...london-vision-clinic

Please visit ‘Dr Prashant Jindal | MPTS Fitness to Practise hearing’ topic for full story



www.easterneye.biz/eye-surgeon-prashant-...te-being-on-holiday/
www.pakistanweekly.co.uk/eye-surgeon-pra...te-being-on-holiday/

Please go to ‘Dr Prashant Jindal’ topic for full story and more articles



‘Dr Prashant Jindal, who is pictured with stars including Shane Warne, is accused of signing documents indicating that he had conducted the procedures despite knowing he had not. The General Medical Council alleges that Jindal is unfit to practise because of misconduct.

The tribunal heard that one of Jindal’s patients, Greg Brady, was about to become a professional boxer when he had the surgery. Brady is pursuing a civil claim against AccuVision for damage to his eyes. He was referred to as patient B at yesterday’s hearing.’

The Times Business section today ?


www.thetimes.co.uk/article/optics-are-lo...ress-owner-d8jfvgr7p

The Times online has a paywall, but you can sign up for a free month's subscription if you'd like to comment (as I did), and cancel before the first payment is due!



Article content:
'Profits at the owner of the Optical Express chain have increased sharply.*

Annual accounts for Lorena Investments show a 15 per dip in turnover to £99.1 million, but reduced costs, partly as a result of fewer high street outlets and a smaller marketing budget, lifted pre-tax profit to £20.1 million in 2020, up from £648,000 previously.

That profit included £7.5 million of government grants.** The company also benefited from lower exceptional charges of only £23,000, compared with more than £4 million in the previous 12 months.

David Moulsdale started Optical Express in 1991 with a shop in Edinburgh providing eyecare, spectacles and contact lenses. The company has gone through a big restructuring over the past decade, which includes Moulsdale, 52, now its chairman and still the owner, buying Optical Express’s debt from Royal Bank of Scotland in 2013.

There are 105 Optical Express outlets on British high streets, as well as sites in the Republic of Ireland, Croatia and Germany. Turnover fell by 17 per cent to £89.6 million in 2020, while Europe was down marginally at £9.5 million.

Stewart Mein, 50, a Lorena Investments director, said: “Our business continued to move from the high street, as leases concluded, to purpose-built, state-of-the-art clinical facilities driven by consumer demand. In turn, property overhead costs were driven down, whilst continuing to invest heavily in technological solutions which provide further enhanced levels of clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction and safety.”'

*Increased no doubt because Optical Express (and Optimax/Ultralase UK ) operated throughout most of lockdown, claiming they were providing necessary surgery, and taking business from other providers who had closed to abide by government restrictions. Even the #NHS cancelled many necessary ops!

NB: I have good reason to believe that OE's profits will take a sharp downturn by the end of 2022, as they are also aware!

**Sickening

Don't be fooled, this wasn't easy!

It took 2 months to get this story published, with Marcello Mega and I jumping through countless hoops - Daily Mail Health Correspondent Shaun Wooller finally getting it over the line for print around 6pm on Friday evening

Many thanks to both journalists, to the ophthalmologists who helped with the science stuff, but mostly to the Optimax victims who agreed to go public with their experiences, including those whose interviews didn't make it to press on this occasion due to lack of space.

However, as I previously mentioned, there is more to come...

Meanwhile, it's still VERY important to share Saturday's post, or this one, as we don't know how many people are out there, worldwide, blissfully unaware of their urgent need for an endothelial cell count check!

Anyone with Phakic lenses implanted in the early 2000s who would like further information and advice, please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

“Sasha Rodoy, of My Beautiful Eyes Foundation, which supports patients who have had poor outcomes from refractive eye surgery, said: ‘I am gravely concerned about the patients Optimax has been unable to contact... they may be walking around with a potential time bomb in their eyes.’”
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9934377...-damage-corneas.html



More to come about this story re Optimax & owner Russell Ambrose

Belated update to my 25 May post (scroll down to catch up), when BBC Morning Live presenter Gethin Jones had laser eye surgery ’top up’ with Julian Stevens at Moorfields Private Eye Hospital

Deafening silence when I asked Gethin Jones whether he or the BBC had paid for his surgery, or if it was ‘gifted’ - aka a freebie in return for priceless advertising!

So I sent an FOI to the BBC, who surprisingly gave me the information I'd requested without a fight!



However, they probably realised that had they not, I would certainly have argued that such information could not possibly fall under the purpose of 'journalism, art or literature', given that this was a blatant advertorial, making a mockery of their claim: 'It is important that the BBC is an independent and impartial news organisation.'

My informants missed this in January


www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/scottish-n...ne-sex-acts-pervert/

Yet usually so vocal: ‘Optical Express could not be reached for comment.’

Though I have to say, given what I know about the workplace culture at Optical Express (especially the behaviour of some of those at the top of the tree), even for them this is sickening advertising!

‘The pervert was placed on the sex offenders register and ordered to complete a rehab programme for perverts.’
www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/scottish-n...s-shoes-spared-jail/

3/3
Not forgetting a complete lack of due diligence in this matter, why is the BBC promoting ANY product, let alone one provided by an unregulated industry

'The Ofcom Broadcasting Code contains the rules which the BBC is required to follow so that BBC viewers and listeners are appropriately protected.'
www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/...rk/content-standards

A definite complaint for Ofcom, though previous similar complaints not upheld!

And why has Gethin Jones refused to answer my reasonable question asking whether or not he paid for his surgery with Julian Stevens?

Meanwhile, regardless that Julian generates revenue ostensibly used to help fund NHS Moorfields Eye Hospital, arranging for his private patients to be referred for NHS aftercare a scandal in itself, and insupportable that his actions went unchallenged by CEO David Probert and MD Nick Strouthidis!

Everything I publish/say is true and factual, supported by evidence, and no-one has ever attempted to sue me for defamation, or anything else related to my work (I wish - publicity!), so why am I - and the many 1,000s of people I represent (with tragic stories that should generate TV & newspaper headlines) ignored by press and media?

In 2019, surprisingly inviting to appear with Dan Reinstein on This Morning, producer Caron Kemp told me they needed to make sure it was a balanced piece - yet ZERO balance when Reinstein has appeared time and time again promoting laser eye surgery, on both ITV and BBC, with some of the presenters getting free surgery from him!

Waiting for the call to arrange my pick up time I was instead called by a junior team member, who nervously told me the producer had gone with another case study.

Utter bullsh*t (as I told him)!

As My Beautiful Eyes Campaign manager, calling for UK government regulation of the refractive eye surgery industry, and patient advocate representing an endless stream of people damaged by this industry, it was a no brainer that I should have been the obvious choice - as I was!

But just as I'd guessed, I later discovered that Reinstein had refused to appear with me!

And my replacement didn't get on either, because waiting in the green room he challenged Dan about the number of suicides caused by the debilitating results of laser eye surgery, Dan threw a tantrum and refused to go on if he did!

The Reinstein Cowboy (so named by his peers, or Dr Blindstein as named by Boris Johnson) then claimed he only does repair work on 1 in 1000 patients (only true if others he's damaged can't be fixed!) - he also left Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford gobsmacked, claiming that wearing glasses is a big risk!



Scroll back to 17 October 2019 for full story and more ...

It should be noted that there has been NO balanced piece on TV shows about laser eye surgery at ANY time - in fact NO mention of damaged patients ever in the promos advertising clinics/surgeons without caveat!

Why is this?

Yet The Mirror (and all other newspapers) refused to publish details of Paul Dance's suicide last year, when he hanged himself after seriously debilitating results of lens exchange surgery at Optegra Eye Hospital



"Joanna Hartley said the surgeon 'seemed very nervous and she was rushing'"
www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-y...pen-hole-eye-5475168

“The error has had a life-changing impact on her and her husband as she constantly has to live with her light sensitivity, pain and discomfort."
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/womans-for...asses-watch-24227003