Seeing a clearer future with replacement lens surgery

“I can honestly say that it’s the best thing I have ever done,” said a delighted Fiona.

Glasses with thick lenses had become part of her life, even though, over the years, they played havoc with her ears and nose. She remembers the first time she put them on and being amazed at the detail of what she could see.

“They were just a necessary evil – I couldn’t see anything without them,” she says.

When she started work as a nurse, Fiona decided to try contact lenses because she was quite sporty and had become fed up with her glasses always falling down her nose.

“I got on fine with the lenses,” she remembers, “until I had my children, and then my eyes changed. They became quite dry, and I had to go back to glasses.”

Consultant Ophthalmologist, Mr Richard Stirling. (Image: Woodlands Hospital)

Because she also had astigmatism, and needed varifocal lenses, Fiona was eventually spending up to £700, every year or two, on new spectacles.

“And they just weren’t right – I had to take them off to read small print; I had to tip my head up and down to see the computer screen clearly; I was squinting; and I was getting headaches,” she says.

She took the plunge and made an appointment for a consultation about lens replacement with Mr Stirling.

“Any concerns that I’d had were quickly alleviated,” she says. “Mr Stirling explained everything clearly and gave me literature to read and websites to explore, so that I had all the information I needed to make a decision.”

Fiona decided to go ahead with the surgery – having one eye done first and then the other around two weeks later – and has nothing but high praise for Mr Stirling and his team.

“I was in the hospital for about two hours, each time, but the actual procedure only took about twenty minutes. Although I was, naturally, worried that something might go wrong, Mr Stirling put my mind at rest and the theatre staff were fabulous.”

Now, although she sometimes automatically reaches for her glasses when she wakes up in the morning, Fiona doesn’t need to wear them at all.

“I would urge anyone who is considering having the surgery to go along and have a consultation. It could change your life.”

As one of the most experienced eye surgeons in the country, Mr Stirling is delighted with Fiona’s positive outcome and reaction to her lens replacement surgery.

Thousands of patients worldwide have benefited from this new technology (Image: Woodlands Hospital)

He says: “Recent advances in multifocal lens implant technology can mean that glasses and contact lenses could be a thing of the past – particularly for those over 50 years of age, where advanced intraocular lenses can be used to reduce or eliminate the need for glasses or contact lenses.

“The new lenses last a lifetime and are also suitable for those who have been diagnosed with cataracts, and are considering, or on the waiting list, for cataract surgery.

“Thousands of patients worldwide have benefited from this new technology.”

At Woodlands Hospital, Mr Stirling operates in a bespoke ophthalmic unit and operating theatre, with state-of-the-art equipment and dedicated ophthalmic-trained nursing staff.

The procedure of replacing the patient’s own lens with a multifocal synthetic implant is done under local anesthetic, as a day-case procedure, with patients able to recommence their usual activities the next day.

To explain the process, Mr Stirling said: “The natural ‘inside our eye’ lens focuses light onto the retina. As we get older our natural lens becomes less elastic and we start to need reading glasses, in addition to distance glasses or varifocal spectacles. Also, as we age the lens loses its youthful clarity and when this becomes troublesome cataract surgery is required. Replacing the natural lens with a clear new multi-focal lens allows images to be in focus for distance, mid, and near, reducing or eliminating the need for glasses.”

The self-pay package that Mr. Stirling offers includes a full diagnostic consultation, surgery and a six-month follow-up. He will explain fully the benefits and risks of the operation, and once the patient’s suitability is confirmed, surgery is booked for one eye, with the second eye surgery following in two or three-weeks’ time.

If you are paying for your own treatment, Woodlands Hospital offers flexible payment options  that can help spread the cost of private healthcare.

Please click here to view Mr Stirling's profile and to find out more information on the services he provides.

Woodlands Hospital consultants have been at the forefront of advanced surgical techniques for many years, offering better outcomes, fewer complications and quicker recovery.

For more information on this procedure or to book an appointment please call 01325 341786 or click on the following link: https://bit.ly/4862qDg