Review of Moorfields Eye Surgery
Moorfields Eye Hospital enjoys a global reputation for providing world-class laser eye surgery.
Moorfields Private is the private arm of the renowned Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and offers ophthalmic care to patients seeking a vast range of treatments for both common and complex eye health conditions.
Today, Moorfields has a number of clinics around London – located in the City, the West End, Bedford and Croydon – and treats around 400,000 outpatients and 30,000 inpatients each year.
☀ Pros: World-class reputation, highly experienced eye surgeons, central London locations, advanced technology
☂ Cons: No fixed prices (fixed by the surgeons), no monthly payment options, no free consultation
☝ Compare clinics: See if there are any other top-rated clinics near you, and use our simple tool to receive a personalised quote.
Our no-nonsense review of Moorfields Private and Moorfields NHS Eye Hospital covers:
- Moorfields Private Eye Hospital
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Moorfields laser eye surgery cost
- What laser eye surgeries are offered?
- Moorfields’ best consultants
- Moorfields laser eye surgery reviews
- The Verdict
1. Moorfields Private Eye Hospital
For patients who fail to meet NHS requirements, or for those looking for treatments left off NHS checklists (such as refractive surgery for the average glasses-wearer), Moorfields Private is a viable option.
Private laser eye treatments at Moorfields include the most common surgeries such as PRK, LASEK and LASIK, as well as specialist procedures for more complex conditions. Private patients also benefit from Wavefront guided surgeries, which tend to have higher success rates due to greater laser accuracy.
In addition to providing high quality treatment and aftercare, many patients like to know that the profits from Moorfields Private are used to fund the Moorfields Eye Charity, Friends of Moorfields, which supports critical new research and quality eye care for children and adults.
2. Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
If you happen to suffer from a select range of debilitating eye conditions that cannot be treated by contact lenses or glasses (such as cataracts or glaucoma), you may be one of the few people who qualify for laser eye surgery on the NHS.
Moorfields’ NHS Eye Hospital is there for these patients, but for the vast majority of us, Moorfields Private has its door open.
3. Moorfields Laser Eye Surgery Cost
While NHS treatment is free, at Moorfields Private prices will apply to all consultations and surgeries.
Laser eye surgery costs at Moorfields start at £2,000 per eye for common laser eye surgery such as LASIK or LASEK. These prices rise to between £3,000 and £4,000 per eye for more complex procedures including cataract surgery.
An initial consultation at Moorfields is around £150, and the private prices will depend on the eye surgeon you choose. That’s because the laser eye consultants are employed by Moorfields, and set their own fees.
Consultation costs
- Consultation: £150 – £200
Patients considering laser eye surgery usually book one to two consultations prior to receiving treatment. You can book your first appointment on the Moorfields Private website.
Treatment costs (per eye)
- LASIK or LASEK eye surgery: £2,000 – £2,500
- Refractive lens exchange (RLE) or cataract surgery: £3,000 – £4,000
- ICL implantation surgery: £3,000 – £4,000
Other costs
In addition to these costs, you may also need to consider covering your potential stay in the hospital for private treatment. Moorfields Private hospital fees tend to range from £900 to £1800, depending on the procedure.
However, recovery times vary, and many eye treatments allow you to leave following the surgery. Naturally, there are no hospital fees for NHS patients.
Other options?
Moorfields Private Hospital offers some of the latest laser and implantable contact lens treatments performed by world-class consultant eye specialists, and these prices reflect the clinic’s high standards.
However, if these costs are outside your budget, or you would like to compare them with other leading laser eye surgery clinics in the UK, click here to fill in a few details, and talk directly to a trusted clinic to compare their quotes and services.
To see how other eye laser surgery clinics compare with Moorfields Private, just click here to use our simple quote tool, and receive a tailored quote from any trusted clinics near you.
Paying for treatment
Opting for laser eye surgery is a financial commitment for most people, and Moorfields offers three ways of paying for your treatment:
- Private Medical Insurance – If you are covered by private healthcare, Moorfields asks that you try to verify these details before your first appointment, and obtain your pre-authorisation number.
- Self pay – Many patients pay for their own treatment, with no private insurance needed.
- Third party sponsorship – If a third party (such as your employer) has agreed to settled your account, make sure you acquire a letter of guarantee along with a deposit.
Read more: Laser eye surgery costs explained
4. Laser Eye Surgery Treatments
Moorfields Private Eye Hospital provides over 100 vision correction treatments for adults and children of all ages.
Here are some of the most requested types of laser eye surgery treatments:
- LASIK: The most common treatment to correct eye conditions such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.
- LASEK: A surface laser treatment that is suitable for patients with thinner corneas (eye surfaces).
- Cataract surgery: A refractive lens exchange (RLE), which is an option for those in the “reading glasses” age group.
- ICL surgery: Implants that work like permanent contact lenses are common for younger people, or patients with medical dry eye conditions.
Moorfields Private Hospital usually performs laser sight correction surgery to both eyes on the same day, but with cataract surgery and ICL implantation, most surgeons prefer to leave a week between operating on each eye for their patients’ comfort.
5. Moorfields’ Top Surgeons
Moorfields Private and Moorfields Eye Hospital claim their ophthalmic surgeons and consultants are some of the best in Britain, and six Moorfields Private surgeons were recently named in the Daily Mail’s top doctors list.
Within the industry, Moorfields is also the go-to for ophthalmic expertise: a recent Moorfields report shows that over half of all registered ophthalmic surgeons in the UK received their training there. Not surprisingly, many Moorfields consultants also completed their training onsite.
Plus, based on hundreds of unfiltered reviews from former patients, Moorfields hosts some of the top-rated laser eye surgeons in the UK.
Here are the five best consultants at Moorfields, as voted by you:
- Mr David Gartry: As one of the first surgeons worldwide to perform laser eye surgery, they don’t come more experienced than Mr Gartry.
- Mr Julian Stevens: Mr Stevens is an advisor to the British Society for Refractive Surgery, and is recognised globally as an expert opinion leader in laser eye surgery.
- Mr Bruce Allan: Mr Allan had been the Service Director for Refractive Surgery at Moorfields since 2012.
- Ms Valerie Saw: Ms Saw’s interests lie in inflammation and scarring of the eye, and she regularly treats patients for dry eyes and conjunctivitis.
- Mr Alexander C. W. Ionides: Since 1989, Mr Ionides has specialised in cataract and refractive lens surgery for both long and short sighted conditions.
Read more: Laser Eye Surgeon reviews
6. Independent reviews of Moorfields Private Eye Hospital
Moorfields consistently receive fantastic customer reviews, making them one of the highest rated laser eye providers in the UK. Click here to read their customer reviews below.
Moorfields Eye Hospital Private Clinic is also featured as one of Lasik Eye’s best laser eye surgery clinics in the UK, as well as shining in our list of the best laser eye surgery in London for partnering with some of the most renowned surgeons.
What makes Moorfields Eye Hospital so popular?
- History – Moorfields Eye Hospital first opened in London in 1805, and is now one of the oldest and best reviewed eye hospitals in the world.
- Ophthalmic Research – Moorfields has spent over 200 years researching and providing the latest laser eye surgery and implantable contact lens treatments, in partnership with the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.
- Cutting-edge technology – Moorfields Private is a flagship location for laser and implant manufacturers. Its surgeons are therefore able to choose from the latest state-of-the-art laser eye equipment and non-invasive techniques like Intralase technology.
- Patient care – The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rates Moorfields Eye Hospital as ‘outstanding’ for care in their latest inspection report.
But is Moorfields Eye Hospital right for you?
Not everyone is best suited to Moorfields: as you would expect, world-class laser eye surgery often comes with an eye-watering price tag.
- Expensive treatments – Although patients tend to leave rave reviews, LASEK eye surgery costs on average £2,235 per eye at Moorfields Private, but between £595 and £1,595 per eye at other leading high street eye clinics such as Optical Express.
- No free consultations – Moorfields Private is one of the few laser eye clinics in the UK not to offer free initial consultations: you can expect to pay between £150 and £200, depending on the surgeon you see.
Next Steps: Find the Top-Reviewed Clinic Near You
Compare Moorfields Private with the highest independently reviewed eye laser clinics near you – see if you’re eligible for 20/20 vision or your money back, and receive your very own personalised quote.
Our mission at Lasik Eyes is to make it easy to choose the right clinic for your ophthalmic treatment, pop in for a free consultation, and talk through your options with an eye expert. Here’s how:
Next steps: Our simple tool helps our readers every day get one step closer to 20/20 vision:
- Find a top clinic near you: Answer three questions to be matched with the leading eye clinic in your area
- Check you’re eligible in minutes: Receive a quick call to check you can get surgery (we will never share your number with anyone else)
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Our Testimonials
292 reviews written between 2002 and 2024. Sorted by newest first.
Treatments are as each reviewer wrote them. Reviews that don't mention laser or lens surgery only show under All treatments.
No reviews match these filters.
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Surgery performed by Mr. Vincenzo Maurino after a number of very thorough conversations around risks and benefits. Fantastic result with 20/20 vision in just a few hours, excellent and very professional service by Moorfields staff. Great aftercare too. Highly recommended.
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It’s Moorfields. Biggest, safest, best respected. This is where the other laser surgeons come to learn and where there mistakes are sent for correction. Plus I only live about 15min walk away. Seemed like a pretty easy decision to me :)
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I just wanted to write something positive about both Moorfields and lasik as I read a lot of negatives about both before I had my eyes done. Although comparatively expensive, the expertise at Moorfields is second to Non, Mark Wilkins was very reasuring and laid back while being informative. Without the pressure of high-street sales targets, you really get to know that facts, pros and cons about eyes surgery and after the consultation (£150) there is no pressure to go ahead with it. No glossy broshures or sports start advertising. After dealing with the high street this was a refreshing change and I was left feeling well informed about the condition of my eyes and the wavefront treatment which is something Ultralase failed to do. The nurses were amazing too. I even have Mark Wilkins’ mobile number for any problems. No matter where you go, if you don’t get to do a one-on-one with the man who’s going to cut your eyes open, don’t do it! The truth is that laser eyes surger is not really necessary and IT IS SURGERY. If you must get it done, it’s hard to go wrong at a place where they work towards cures for blindness. It’s been almost 2 weeks so it’s still earky days but no matter what I’m glad I took the plunge and I’m glad I chose Moorfields.
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Had Lasek surgery 18 months ago. It was painful and uncomfortable. I would definitely recommend that you book a week at home after surgery and have someone pick you up or help you home after surgery. For 3 months afterwards I would wake up every now and then with the sensation of painfully gritty eyes. But this side-effect was temporary and would subside about 10 minutes after waking up … in the scheme of things, not a huge issue.
Apparently, it does not make much difference which surgeon you have unless things go wrong and I was willing to pay for the guarantee of having Dr Stevens in case they did. His average results are also very good. He was fairly brief in his pre-op time given for discussion but you could say, efficient and utterly knowledgeable. His junior doctors were not so well informed and one lady even fobbed me off with false information. His receptionists (especially Janet – a star) were much better informed. Overall I received all the answers I needed (I was annoyingly inquisitive) but had the sense that as a customer of an expensive and commercial procedure, time for chat was necessarily not huge.
Delighted with the results. I used to have a prescription of -2.75 and -3.00 and was completely dependent on glasses or contacts. I am 34. So pleased to have stable eyes from lasek as I do loads of outdoor activities and I can see very well (20:20). I never got used to contacts or glasses and as someone who loves to feel self-reliant, the surgery has made a tremendous difference to my life.
Recommend the lasek surgery with Dr Stevens.
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Expensive but wanted to go to Moorfields as they have very experienced surgeons and the latest technology. My opinion is you only have one pair of eyes. Some bits of the hospital are a bit shabby but don`t let that put you off – it is clear that Mr Maurino is experienced and has top equipment, even if the walls could do with a paint and the furniture updated. I was astigmatic in both eyes and about -3 ish in each eye.
Operated on by Mr Vincenzo Maurino in mid Dec 2008. One month later eyes are slightly dry on occasion but vision pretty much 20-20. Saw Mr M last week and he said this will keep improving weekly – I agree as they are getting better as time ticks by. Fantastic result and bizarre to keep going to take glasses off (having worn them for 21 years) and they are not there.
Operation is not fun but relatively quick and only real discomfort/soreness was the first evening where it feels like you have grit in your eyes for a few hours. Eyes seem to be getting better daily now – at night initially halos were quite bad around lights but as my eyes heal this improved for me. Mr M is experienced and I felt professional and looked after me well, as did the nurses who were kind.
My right eye did take a week or so to be able to see sharply but I would now say it is better than the left. My advise is don`t panic if everything is not perfect on your first day after surgery. After all, any operation takes time to heal.
Overall – delighted.