Centre for Sight as Experts on RIP OFF BRITAIN
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) was approached by the BBC to help with the production of an episode of Rip Off Britain (ROB) regarding laser eye surgery.
In particular the perceived lack of regulation poor outcomes in some patients who had treatment in commercial “high street” organizations.
Watch Series 9 Episode 15 – BBC Rip Off Britain investigates regulation of laser eye surgery
Centre for Sight’s Medical Director, Sheraz Daya represented the college in his capacity as committee member of the RCOphth Refractive Surgical Standards Working Group (RSSWG) who developed and produced the new standards recently published and accepted by the General Medical Council (GMC).
“Patients must fully understand the procedure, its benefis and risks do their research well, look at the variety of centres, get seen in in consultation and then go away for a cooling off period to think about it, and make sure that is what they want to have done and then go and have surgery.”
Sheraz Daya emphasized that by “commoditising” laser eye surgery, patients get distracted by prices and “getting a deal” forgetting to properly research the procedure and finding out what is involved as well as making a good and informed choice of procedure, surgeon and centre.
Mr Daya also says that if all laser centres were to adopt the standards then all laser eye surgery would improve.
Centre for Sight follows the ‘New standards and patient information guidelines’ published by the Royal College of Ophthalmologist and prides itself in placing patient safety as an absolute priority and setting high standards.
Author Information
Authored by Sheraz Daya MD FACP FACS FRCS(Ed) FRCOphth, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon & Medical Director, June 2019.
Next review due June 2020.