Surgery no rose-coloured spectacle

THE dream of ditching their glasses for good is leading thousands of Scots to risk their eyesight, a leading eye doctor has warned.

There has been a massive increase in the number of Scots willing to pay up to 2,500 for laser eye surgery, a process which, in theory, allows them to throw away their contact lenses and glasses.

But Dr Jonathan Whittle, a fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and an associate specialist at the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh has told Scotland on Sunday patients can easily end up with scarring on their cornea, making their eyesight worse than before the treatment.

However, laser surgery clinics have hit back at Whittle, who also owns an opticians shop in Edinburgh, claiming the procedure is safe and that he and other opticians are simply scaremongering in an attempt to protect their 200m industry.

Laser surgery has been made popular by celebrities like Jodie Kidd, Richard Branson, Sharon Davies and Cat Deeley.

There are already eight high street clinics offering laser eye surgery in Scotland, based in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, with another two due to open in the next few months.

And where 10 years ago only a handful of people underwent laser eye surgery north of the Border, it is now estimated more than 2,000 operations are carried out each year.

But Whittle warns that the patients could be suffering permanent damage in their pursuit of perfect vision.

"Patients who have perfectly healthy eyes are being subjected to a surgical procedure and there are attendant risks," he said.

"The eye can be perforated during surgery leading to long-term scarring that impairs vision.

"The scarring on the cornea can lead to a marked reduction in their best vision afterwards, which can’t be corrected with spectacles or contact lenses. The outcome is unpredictable.

"The adverts give an image of a panacea but the public need to appreciate the downside as well as the upside. You can end up worse and the long-term effects are not known."

The newest treatment, LASIK (Laser In-situ Keratomileusis), has revolutionised laser surgery because it can be used for both long and short-sightedness and is more sophisticated than the older form of surgery.

LASIK involves using a laser beam to cut a small flap in the protective surface of the eye and to reshape the surface of the cornea to correct the focus before the flap is replaced. The technique, which is conducted under anaesthetic, takes about 20 minutes for both eyes.

David Cummins, an optometrist at Niche Optical Tailor in Glasgow, said he was worried lower prices for the surgery are leading to clinics cutting corners.

"Prices are going to come down and cut-price surgery is not a good thing. They are going to skimp on follow-ups and the result of this is likely to be A & E departments full of post-operative problems.

"Problems include increased sensitivity to light at night and haziness of vision. Reduced clarity of vision while wearing glasses or contact lenses is also a concern."

But surgeon Russell Ambrose, the owner of the Optimax chain which has nine clinics across the UK, defended the treatment.

He said: "You would expect opticians to criticise laser surgery, they don’t normally give a balanced point of view.

"They are selling glasses and don’t want people to go away and have a treatment which will lead to people not needing their services any more. After all, we sell our service on the basis that you can throw away your glasses afterwards.

"There are remarkably few complications given the huge number of procedures that take place."

However, Brian Martin, from Glasgow, claims his operation made his left eye worse and left the vision in his right eye blurred. Martin paid 700 for laser surgery at the Optimax clinic in Glasgow in January.

The 24-year-old said: "My advice to anyone considering laser surgery is: don’t do it.

"The operation on my left eye had to be stopped because of a problem and even though I have now supposedly got 20/20 vision in my right eye I still get a ghosting effect and have trouble seeing light things against dark backgrounds. I don’t think I was told all the risks before the operation and my vision was better when I wore glasses."

But Ambrose insisted that Martin had received a brochure, consultation questionnaire and consent form explaining the risks.

He added: "Mr Martin has developed a complication. It will take a few months before we can re-treat him. We can fix him."

Dr Emanuel Rosen, clinical director of ophthalmology with Boots, which recently opened a laser surgery clinic in Glasgow, said proper screening of patients was vital. Rosen performed the first LASIK treatment in the UK and has carried out the surgery on England cricket captain Nasser Hussain and former Celtic and Scotland captain Roy Aitken.

He said: "The cases that come to grief are the ones that shouldn’t be done in the first place. I have seen patients who have come from laser clinics where the treatment has not been done appropriately."

But despite the concerns, fashion experts say the pressure on people to ditch their glasses will still force thousands to opt for the treatment.

Elizabeth Walker, executive fashion editor at Marie Claire magazine, said: "I know a number of people in our business who have had it done. You don’t want to be wearing spectacles with a black velvet evening dress. It just doesn’t go."