Mr Hobson explained how the ceremony had evolved from one performed in Pagan times and intended to help protect the building and its occupants from harm. He also took the opportunity to thank everyone who had been working so hard on the project.

Two young oak trees were presented to Mr. Sheraz Daya, our Medical Director and Medical Director of the Corneoplastic Unit at the Queen Victoria Hospital, and his wife and fellow ophthalmic consultant, Marcela Espinosa-Lagana. Mr Daya promised to plant the trees within the extensive grounds of the hospital.

Click here to see more about the build...

Medical Director, Sheraz Daya MD, will be presenting our outcomes of CrystaLens at the annual congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons in Berlin next week!

Point of interest: Centre for Sight outcomes have surpassed those of the International Registry as well as those of US surgeons with 75% of patients completely free of glasses (both distance and near) and 80% never requiring the use of readers!

Read more about CrystaLens...

This major accolade is for care provided by his NHS team with some surgical support from the team at Centre for Sight.

Here is what the Awards had to say about him:

Sheraz Daya has single handedly turned the corneoplastic unit and eye bank at the Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust into a nationally and internationally renowned unit, providing some of the most modern corneal care in the world.

As director of the unit for the past fourteen years, he has developed and introduced a number of innovative new techniques in corneal transplant, and his pioneering work in stem cell transplation to restore the ocular surface resulted in a breakthrough in 2004/5 which was reported in the world press.

The success and accomplishments of the unit in providing very complex patients with exceptional treatment and care have been outstanding. They not only benefit NHS patients, but many others who are referred to the unit from throughout the European Union.

Nominating patient Sara Wiseman sums up, “Mr Daya is a genius and a miracle worker. He is forever fighting for people who others see as beyong help. He transforms lives in an unimaginable way and has literally given sight to the blind. He has improved my quality of life and I have comfort I never dreamt possible for the first time in 30 years.”

Read all about it in the local papers:

With our new hospital rising from it's foundations, and a third new centre scheduled to open in central Surrey early 2009, we were thrilled when Maggie Middleton accepted the new position of CEO to help ensure our exceptionally high medical and care standards are guaranteed to continue throughout our growth.

Maggie will bring many years of senior management experience of healthcare, from both the public and independent sector.

"I am incredibly excited to be part of such an innovative, high quality and growing company" says Ms Middleton.

Corneal specialist Saj Khan became familiar with the Centre for Sight team when he completed his specialty cornea fellowship training,in the NHS Corneo Plastic Unit, Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead.

Famous for being leaders in laser vision correction and for their specialist care of all medical conditions relating to the cornea or front of the eye, for Mr Khan the opportunity to join the centre was the pinnacle to years of specialist training.

As a contact lens and glasses wearer for the last 20 years, naturally his induction had the added bonus of including undergoing surgery performed by himself – IntraLASIK Zyoptix wavefront – the latest and safest in laser vision correction. His prescription of -2.5 wasn’t high, but Mr Khan knew that he had thin cornea and prior to undergoing all the tests was genuinely nervous about whether or not he might be suitable.

With his surgery booked, the whole team were waiting in anticipation for the results of his consultation. He was a particularly difficult patient as his eyes were straining during evaluation and provided spurious readings. After repeating the tests, Mr Sheraz Daya, Medical Director of Centre for Sight, assessed the results of his tests and affirmed his suitability.

The day of treatment came and ever thoughtful, the team brought in a film crew to divert any anxiety. Surgery, as always, went smoothly and swiftly – a total of only twenty minutes in theatre and his transformation was complete.

Immediate tests following his surgery showed his vision had already reached 20/20 (6/6). A short sleep and quick follow-up appointment the next day showed it had improved further to an amazing 20/12 (6/4) – better than his corrected vision with lenses prior to surgery. The next day back to the grindstone – only now with the advantage of being able to reassure Centre for Sight patients with the benefit of personal experience!

A video of Mr Khan’s consultation or surgery will shortly be available on the Centre for Sight website or alternatively contact us and ask to be put on the list to receive a copy as soon as it becomes available: enquiries@centreforsight.com or 0800 011 2882