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St Thomas’ Hospital

guys and st thomas hospital

39 Reviews

Mr O'Brart zapped my eyes to cure my short-sightedness many years ago - about 1997, I think. I'm 47 now and still have excellent vision. He gave unbiased advice, warning me of the slight variability in results and how my s ...Read more

Laser Eye Surgery Review

Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital may not be on everyone’s shortlist for finding quality laser eye surgery in London. But based on the “Good” rating from the CQC and glowing customer reviews for keeping patients happy, you may want to consider this clinic.

How do you find it? For laser eye surgery, the Westminster Bridge Consulting Rooms are situated on the ground floor of Gassiot House in St Thomas’ Hospital (London SE1 7EH). Gassiot House is sited at the corner of Westminster Bridge Road and Lambeth Palace Road on the North side of Lambeth Palace Road.

The Verdict

That said, we only have a handful of positive independent reviews for this eye hospital on Lasik Eyes. You maybe safer trusting somewhere like Optical Express, Moorfields Private Eye Hospital or AccuVision, which all have between several hundreds and thousands of thumbs-up ratings from customers, and are also located in London, or you can use our simple tool to find the top-rated eye surgery clinic in your neck of London.

Click here to find the best clinic near you, and receive a tailored quote.

RatingDate

11 Oct 2002

Continuing on from my earlier dramas.... Friday 13th September came ... but we decided to leave the correction of the aborted left eye for another couple of months as the scan showed that "filling in" of the erroneous ablations was still taking place. Concerning my left eye, it is now back to it´s original -9.00 state (Yippee!!). So ... rather than waste the appointment, we went for LASEK on the -9.00 right eye instead. We used the same laser as before even though David had just taken delivery of a new wave front machine (which is almost portable would you believe). The weekend following the op was quite painful even though the epithelial flap was undamaged and successfully replaced I had to force myself to go easy on the anaesthetic drops so as not to interfere with the steroid action.It was like having a piece of grit in your eye ... but you couldn´t touch it.I have to say though that after 25 years of wearing contact lens, my eye was more rebelling against the surgical lens rather than anything else.Notwithstanding that, vision even at the earlier stages looked promising. The check-up a week later showed an over-correction to +2.00 ish. This was within David´s calculations. The eye looked physically good, which is perhaps more important. I went back last week and the eye had moved to +1.25 ish. David reckons it needs another month or two to settle to it´s final resting point. But hey .... I can do general day to day stuff (except drive and read PC screens) with this new eye without having to put a corrective lens in the left. And those of you coming from -9,00 or thereabouts will know that this is truly magical. Plan now is to get the right to a stage where I can see a car numberplate from 25 yards before attacking the left again. It´s all looking good at the moment. I´ll keep you posted.

14 Nov 2002

I decided to have corrective surgery this year as I was no longer able to wear contact lens, due to a new job and terrible air conditioning. My sight at that point was –2.00 in both eyes so fairly mild. My initial research pushed me towards the LASIK procedure which seemed very quick and convenient. However, I then found this excellent site, and some others, which raised some doubts. The more I read about peoples’ experiences the more doubt I had. Eventually I discarded LASIK as an option and decided on LASEK which seemed to have the best of both worlds. The next decision was where to have it done. As I figured eyesight was pretty important I decided to forget the issue of price completely and think only of who would do the best job. Along with this I wanted someone who had wide experience and knowledge and not just able to perform a procedure. After looking at all the options I had no doubt that David O’Brart at St Thomas’s would be the best person. I had my first consultation and was more than pleased with my decision. David’s knowledge on all matters to do with eyes was very reassuring. He also seemed to have genuine enthusiasm for his chosen field as well which always inspires confidence, in me at least. Now if only I could find a Plumber like that…. My first eye was booked in for May 2002. I was not particularly nervous on the day of the procedure. It was fairly quick and there was no real discomfort. It was actually a very weird experience and although I wouldn’t say enjoyable, certainly interesting. It was completed late afternoon and by the time I was home the pain had set in. Not really that bad and in fact nowhere near previous experiences of waking up with a hangover and a, forgotten, lens still in. The following day I had one painkiller dose in the morning which turned out to be my last. The next few days before my return to the hospital were OK except for the discomfort of the bandage lens. The hospital return went well and my eye had already improved. Over the next few weeks it improved dramatically to near what it is now. As I had a low’ish prescription I found that there was no real need for glasses/lens after the first week. It was now just a case of when I could fit the next one in which turned out to be August 2002. A month before my second eye was due, I began to experience a few problems with it (this is my uncorrected eye!). I was waking up in the middle of the night with bad pain and lots of water streaming out of it. This happened a couple of times before I was due back at St Thomas’s. In view of this I was somewhat unsure of having the procedure done. Once again, choosing someone with in depth knowledge paid off as David recognised the condition I had immediately. Luckily for me, one of the cures for my ailment was based on laser surgery and hence the procedure would in fact solve both problems. A bargain! The second eye procedure was a slightly different experience. It seemed like I could feel a lot more of what was going on and the procedure seemed to take a bit longer. There was still no pain though and I suspect that a certain amount of it was psychological as it didn’t feel like the anaesthetic drops were as strong . I did feel a bit sick and had to have an extended lay on the table. When I returned home that day the pain was worse but still controllable through the tablets. It did take about 8 doses over the next few days but at no time did I feel the need to use the aesthetic drops. It has now been a couple of months since my second eye and I have just had a check up. Everything is great and I am now 0 in one and +0.25 in the other. Eyesight is excellent and the ghosting I experienced for a few weeks after each one has gone. I am not aware of any problems with night vision. Having perfect eyesight after 17 years (I am now 37) is truly amazing. It’s certainly money well spent and if you are going to go for this I highly recommend David O’Brart at St Thomas’s.

01 Dec 2002

Several months on and my eyesight is excellent. I still have very minor night vision disturbances, but remain absolutely delighted with the outcome of my operations. I would recommend Mr. O'Brart to anyone who is thinking of having laser eye surgery.

12 Dec 2002

I had LASEK in my left eye on Friday 6th December. I Selected Dr D. O'Brart for his expertise. When I keyed his name in Google I found several pages of references to his publications etc...He IS a top Surgeon. As I had deep concerns regarding LASIK and the cut of the flap (with its never ending list of complications) I selected LASEK which seems a much safer method as there is no cut of the cornea, therefore not much that can go wrong. I was told during the preliminary consultation that the chances of a nasty complication was 1 in 5000: I was confident with that level of risk. the results are as good as LASIK, and for me better as my pupils are every wide, less risk of halo with LASEK as the surgeon will treat a wider area in such case.... The surgery was dreadful! Not painful but the cut of the Epithelium layer took much longer than I expected and you can see everything! Very impressive! The laser bit was over very quickly. I spent the rest of the day and Saturday laying in bed in the dark. My eye was very sore and I couldn't keep it open more than few seconds. It improved a bit on Sunday and I managed by the afternoon to watch a bit TV. My advice is : Stock on those recorded books, as it gets boring! I was in quite a lot of pain, but the surgeon warned me of this as I was very nervous during the surgery, and apparently the more nervous the more pain after! On Monday I went to the Hospital to get the bandage contact lens removed and my eye checked. The surgeon was very pleased with the result so far. My vision went very blurry once the lens was out. By end of the day my upper eye lid started to feel sore, as if I had some grid in my eye all the time. I went back to work on Tuesday for half day. My vision improved a lot by then but still blurry. On Wednesday I started to worry about the pain in my eye lid and I phoned Liz (Dr O'Brart wife) who called him. I went to see him at lunch time in his Harley street consultation where he checked that all was fine. Apparently the pain is due to the surface of the eye which is still healing and not smooth, causing pain every time I blink! Not much to do....it could last up to 2 weeks! :-( I'm seeing him again tomorrow evening for a check up.

29 Jan 2003

It's been 7 weeks since my surgery on my left eye. My vision is very good although I am still very slightly long-sighted but this should regress within next few months as surgeon confirmed on my last check up on 10th of January. Take into account that the more short-sighted the longer it takes. I was -6 with some astigmatism. My astigmatism is now almost non existent and so far so good: I have no problems at night vision (although my pupils are very wide!) no dry eye, nothing…all is fine! Only thing I find my treated eye is very sensitive when cutting onions :-) I went back to swim the other day and had no problem at all with the water, and being able to see clearly (albeit with my left eye only) was quite fantastic! I have now booked for my right eye for 28th of February. I will keep you all posted on this!

30 Jan 2003

What can I say, but thanks to David O'Brart my life has changed. A year ago I couldn't recognise my own son from 6ft away. I was -8.5 in the right eye and -8 in the left, both with astigmatisms. I tried Ultralase who only did LASIK but because I had thin corneas they couldn't treat me. After research I found St Thomas's and Mr O'Brart. It's now been a year since I had my right eye treated (9 months for the left) and what a difference it has made. Very little pain with the right but more so with the left. David was very reassuring throughout and I felt much happier being seen by the consultant doing the operation in the first place than (like ultralase) being passed round from one assistant to another each doing their own tests. The only problem I've experienced was a little dry eye in very hot temperatures. And the result, I'm now +0.5 in the right, and =0.35 in left, legal to drive, no reading glasses needed and I can recognise my son across a football field. Don't hesitate, do it now.

01 Feb 2003

I have spent the best part of the last year doing lots of research on the internet with regard to Laser Eye surgery and have found this web site to be absolutely invaluable. A friend had already recommended David O'Brart to me, and his name had been mentioned by others, but the comments on this web site assured me that he was the best person for the job. I had my consultation in November, very impressed with the way everything was explained to me and I was pleased that I was suitable for Lasek, as the invasive technique of Lasik had never appealed to me. Would you believe it took me weeks to pluck up the courage to book my first eye in, and with some trepidation, I arrived at St Thomas on 17th January with my sister, Janice, who had also decided to take the plunge, and have Lasek to correct her short-sightedness. I was very nervous, (understandable, I suppose, after all, it's not every day that one has eye surgery!), but David was very patient and calming. My right eye, the weakest, was duly 'zapped', and, apart from some pain after the protective contact lens was removed on the Monday, everything has been fine. It is now 2 weeks since the surgery and the vision is absolutely unbelievable. I was -8.25 with a severe astigmatism of -3, (I hadn't realised that I was that short sighted !!), but following my 10 day check up, on 27th January, I am ever so slightly long-sighted at +0.65 and I'm told that this will improve still. David has said that my left eye could be done in approx 6 weeks, which is great. My sister, Janice, is equally pleased with the results of her surgery. Anyone reading this who is unsure, I would say do your research like I did, but I would thoroughly recommend Mr O'Brart. I know that it's still early days, but for someone like me, who has worn glasses since the age of 7, and GP contact lenses for the last 18 years, it is truly remarkable. Looking forward to the next eye being done, and being free of contact lenses completely.

02 Feb 2003

Guys here are my experiences - hope they help others with their decisions. Would I do it again? YES. Ask me in 30 years though; don't forget this is still an experimental procedure. Surgery Bilateral 2 weeks ago. -2.75 left and - 3.0 with astigmatism in right. Chose David 'cos; 1. This website 2. Ophthalmology surgeon friend who recommended him after hearing him speak. 3. Wanted LASEK I concur with all the other good comments about him on the website. OK despite being into various so called "extreme sports" bilateral eye surgery is the scariest thing I've ever done!! Day of OP; Started immediately on full dose of Co-Proxamol pain killers. Despite this had severe bilateral pain for about 3 hours on day 1 and used the local anaesthetic drops 3 times each eye. Day 2&3; bionic vision in left eye blurred vision in right eye. Both eyes "uncomfortable" Day 3; lenses out - blurred vision in both eyes for rest of day. Days 4-7 distance vision blurred in left (previously "bionic") eye and very clear in right eye. Near vision intermittently blurred in both. Awoken with pain from dry eyes each morning. 6/7.5 and 6/10 at 1 week check up. Days 7 - 16 (today). General gradual improvement in vision in both eyes. NOTE; this is better 1st thing in morning and fluctuates during the day. Vision can be as good as 6/4 in either eye but is occasionally 6/12. Seems to be settling down now with more time having great vision and less time blurred. Blurring also seems to be related to ability to focus and distance vision is worse for a few minutes after having been reading. Painful dry eye has now gone. Have only very minimal halos and glare and this is already settling. I'm MASSIVELY pleased with this result so far and if it continues to settle and remains at 6/6 (or ? 6/5) in both eyes it'll be awesome. Lessons learnt; vision is ALL OVER THE PLACE for 1st week and you really can't have any expectations. Everyone's experiences are probably different. Things seem to start to settle at 10 days to 2 weeks.

06 Feb 2003

Thought it was about time to post my update. I had the previously aborted left eye done at the end of November. This time David used his brand spanking new custom laser with which he was more able to take into account the erroneous ablations of last June (see earlier reports). Thankfully all went well and David retrieved a difficult situation admirably (which shows the value of getting the right person when it comes to your eyes). Anyhow, cutting a long story short, I have come form -9.00s in both eyes and last measurements (end December) showed left at 0.00 and right at +.25 ish. I was a bit concerned that as the right had moved from +2.00 to +0.25 that the left would have gone the same way - but there is no sign of that happening as of today. The thing to remember for you high myopic out there is that the correction is so great that getting to 0.00 requires quite a bit of luck as well. We all heal at different speeds. My right eye was done 4 months ago and it still continues to "fill in"...... and it hasn't finished yet. Definitions are becoming more acute with every week that passes - sometimes almost imperceptibly, but you know it's happening. this process can take months in cases like mine. This is inconvenient if you are working with PCs or you have to do a lot of reading. At my age (46) you might expect to have to use reading glasses. It seems that the short sightedness was hiding or delaying in some way the necessity for reading glasses (a muscular problem, not corneal) . I'm currently using a temporary +1 correction to read but as my eyes are still filling in, this might end up as final, it might be +.5 ... or it may not be necessary at all. But hey, who cares. That's nothing!! I'm in for a test next week. I suspect I'll be put back on the steroids for a few weeks as the eye is still in recovery mode but I have to tell you I'm ecstatic. Since having the eyes done I've been kayaking in New Zealand and I'm off to Finland in February for a bit of "Hole in the Ice " (jumping in a freezing lake). I'm not telling you this to boast - but with -9.00s you tend to think twice about these things and you feel less inclined to take risks where you might lose you eyes (glasses). Now I don't. It's difficult to describe this feeling to those born with perfect vision. I'll keep you posted.

18 Feb 2003

I had PRK surgery with Mr O'Brart in 1999. I was -2 to -2.5 and am now less than -0.5 is either eye. I fully recommend Mr O'Brart to anyone willing to pay for one of the best surgeons in the country. I have written a web page detailing my experiences which is located at: http://www.twinnies.demon.co.uk/prk/prkexperience.html Cheers, Paul


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