Area(s) of specialism / sub-specialism
Laser refractive surgery Intralase + wavefront guided Lasik. Lasek + Epi Lasik. Small incision Phacoemulsification cataract surgery, Clear Lens extraction
Initial medical training: University College Hospital
Ophthalmology training: Moorfields Eye Hospital and Corneal Fellowship, Moorfields Eye Hospital – MD
Further key experience: Corneal fellowship
Date joined Moorfields: 1992: SHO, 2001: Appointed to Consultant Staff
Membership of professional/national/regional bodies:
- GMC ( General Medical Council )
- FRCOphth (Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologist)
- ESCRS (European society of Cataract and refractive surgeons)
ASCRS (American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons) - MDU ( Medical Defence Union)
- BMA ( British Medical Association)
- Full time consultant Moorfields Eye Hospital, 2001
Honorary senior lecturer St Georges Medical School
Other professional achievements:
- Lead clinician: Moorfields at St Georges
- College tutor: Moorfields at St Georges
Research interests: Lens and Cataract surgery, refractive surgery, Ophthalmic primary care
Mr Alexander C W Ionides is featured as one of the best laser eye surgeons in the UK, read more here
Testimonials
I am writing at length to alleviate any concerns you may have and to hopefully be helpful to those trying to select the right surgeon.
I can not rate my experience high enough in relation to every aspect of my cataract diagnosis, care, and ultimate surgical intervention. Mr Ionides is a very approachable professional who has a justifiably excellent reputation within his field. He was very informative at outset, whilst keeping me at ease given the probability of eye surgery. He was completely happy to discuss further with my wife, also a doctor, who had plenty more technical questions. He also gave me his direct contact details should I need to contact him with further questions.
After my eyes had deteriorated so much that I was no longer legal to drive, Mr Ionides discussed the various lens options and we decided the Zeiss trifocal lenses would be the most appropriate. Three days later my first eye was operated on. The operation was very quick, 10-15mins after the anaesthetic was administered, and was entirely pain free. The following day I immediately could see the amazing life changing results. The following week my right eye was completed with equal success. Mr Ionides made sure that he contacted me the day after each operation to make sure all was well.
I absolutely could not be happier with the results – I am so positive about the whole experience. Before electing to choose the lens I had been informed of one shortfall (halos round bright lights at night). Whilst this is indeed true, it is entirely manageable and does not cause any difficulties. My vision is now better than 20:20 and colours are very much brighter/crisper.
A final note about Mr Ionides. He is a consummate professional, backed by considerable experience and reputation. In the unlikely event of a problem during surgery I had absolute confidence that he would be the best person to handle any given situation. This together with his warmth and personable approach makes him a first choice when needing an eye specialist. He is also ably assisted by his practice manager, Mrs Leigh McEvoy, who is also both warm and helpful in her approach to ensure that the potentially daunting experience is as painless as possible.
I would like to recommend the experience I had at Moorfields as it was the best decision I could have made. Dr Ionedes is friendly, informative, professional and puts you completely at ease. He spent a long time answering all the questions I had, talking me through the options and making everything easy to understand.
I was told it was unlikely I could have the procedure on the first occasion of my visit due to a situation with my eyes and this gave me the confidence that my wellbeing was of course put before the surgery fees – this should be a given of course but was a concern of mine having read reviews on line of certain providers. A few months later my eyes got the all clear for the procedure and I was very pleased that the apropriate examinations had been made and I was under no pressure or obligations to procede. Moorfields was more expensive than other providers and was more than I was expecting or planning for but the quote was upfront and actually it gave me extra peace of mind knowing I was at Moorfields. The procedure was quick and the recovery did take a while but my eyes have healed to perfect 20 20 vision and so I would recommend this procedure to anyone who asked me. Thank you Dr Ionides
After nearly 17 years of wearing contact lenses, my corneas decided they’d had enough of too little oxygen and being squashed by thick pieces of plastic that *still* didn’t give me great vision and rewarded me with two bad eye infections within 6 months. I switched over to dailies which were expensive and troublesome and also had to switch between glasses and contact lenses constantly as I couldn’t wear contacts for more than 8 hours per day.
I’m a -11 prescription in both eyes, and my glasses made my eyes look tiny. Getting them thinned was hugely costly and they still didn’t look great. And so started my refractive eye surgery journey.
I work for a consumer charity and saw that Moorfield Eye Hospital was rated highly across pre-operative, operative and post-operative care. I tried a few high street chains but felt they were pushy.
I looked up surgeons on the Moorfields website and the first person I came across was Dr Ionides. I saw that he performs cataract surgery and teaches others to perform the surgery. That gave me confidence as the surgery I had is a bit more invasive than LASIK.
As soon as I called, his PA Leigh McEvoy put me straight at ease. I booked my appointment and was subjected to vigorous eye tests. I was informed of the risks and complications. I was fully informed.
I was told I wasn’t eligible for LASIK, but I was eligible for Implantable Contact Lenses.
I’m a bit of a worrier, so I did thorough research on the procedure. I looked at medical papers and journals on safety, efficacy and trends in clinical outcomes of the procedure across the world. Before I even booked the surgery, Dr Ionides’ response to my worries and concerns made me see I had absolutely chosen the right surgeon. Never once did I feel obligated to book. He discussed the papers with me and reassured me that the procedure was safe and that I would continue to be monitored at Moorfields.
Throughout the whole process, Dr Ionides has been wonderful. A great character, he has been calming, reassuring, professional and gave me confidence in the procedure from start to finish. His aftercare has been second to none – he’s always happy to see me if I have any problems (I had slightly raised eye pressures after the procedure which is normal) and he saw me every week until they started to reduce.
Dr Ionides is a world-class surgeon working at a world-class medical institution. While pricer than other places, you get what you pay for and this procedure has been worth every penny. My eyes are still healing after 5 months, but my vision is fantastic. My life is completely different and I’ve got a freedom I never thought possible. I can’t say thank you enough to Dr Ionides and his team.
I had LASEK eye surgery in April 2017 by Alexander Ionides (I did not qualify for LASIK as my corneas were too thin). My prep appointments at Moorfields hospital were very helpful and clarified many questions. The procedure itself was painless, very quick and I felt completely at ease. I had no pain afterwards but, as expected, vision was blurry for a few days, during which period I could also not read any books or from a computer screen. After a week my vision had recovered substantially and has been improving further during the months since (one eye now has 6/6 vision, the other 6/4.8, which is even better). Throughout the process, dr. Ionides has been extremely helpful, friendly and always responded very quickly to questions/emails etc. Highly recommended!
I have recommended Alex to multiple people who have all had similar very positive experiences. Within an hour of having the surgery I could for the first time in my life read the small print on my phone. The surgery was pain free and only took around 5 mins per eye. I was 40 years old at the time of the operation.
One eye which had a high stigmatism had to be done twice, this was within the originial price of the surgery. Once I had 20/20 vision I then had other surgery to straighten a lazy eye. No professional had every suggested that I have laser eye surgery to correct my vision before operating on a lazy eye. Seems the most logical approach.
Alex has really good interpersonal skills, highly professional and I could not recommend him or the operation more highly. It was totally life changing. Thank you.