If Another Clinic Finds Me Unsuitable, Why Should I Come To London Vision Clinic?

Making the decision to enquire about Laser Eye Surgery can take a lot of research, anxiety, and debate with oneself over the pros and cons. When you finally pluck up the courage to make that initial appointment, it may not have even crossed your mind that your chosen clinic will find you unsuitable for treatment. So, when this happens, it can be deflating, to say the least.

But while this might seem like the end of the road on your Laser Eye Surgery journey – that’s not necessarily the case. So, if one clinic has told you you are unsuitable for Laser Eye Surgery, why bother going to another one? Well, let’s find out.

Different Clinics Have Different Restrictions

It can be easy to assume that every Laser Eye Surgery provider offers the same services. After all, vision correction is vision correction, right? Unfortunately, this is far from true. In reality, different clinics across the UK can have extremely different capabilities when it comes to treating patients. This may mean that some providers are unable to treat certain prescriptions or patients with certain qualities (such as thin corneas).

These limitations can come down to a range of things, but the most important factors that affect a clinic’s ability to treat a wider range of patients are the expertise of their surgeons and the equipment used.

Access to the latest technology

Technology is of the utmost importance in the field of Laser Eye Surgery. Since the introduction of the earliest iterations of the procedure, technological developments have helped to advance Laser Eye Surgery almost beyond recognition. Today, more people are suitable for Laser Eye Surgery than ever before – at least at clinics with access to the latest technology.

Many clinics – particularly high street providers – are still using older equipment that doesn’t have the same capabilities as the latest technology. Unfortunately, this means that they are forced to turn away many patients who might otherwise be suitable for treatment. This can include patients with higher prescriptions or thinner corneas.

At London Vision Clinic, not only do we have access to the latest equipment – but we also help to develop it. Our founder and expert Laser Eye surgeon, Professor Dan Reinstein, has helped to develop some of the most important Laser Eye Surgery technology in the world, including the Carl Zeiss Meditec MEL 90 Excimer laser and Artemis Insight 100™ Ultrasound Scanner.

As Mr. Glenn Carp explains in the video above, London Vision Clinic has “worked very closely with Zeiss over the years to develop profiles to correct visual irregularity, which most clinics sometimes are not able to do by virtue of having technology that is slightly older than what we have.”

Expertise and Suitability Criteria

It may seem strange but different surgeons often have different criteria for accepting or rejecting patients. However, this actually makes perfect sense. After all, every surgeon has a different level of expertise, experience and – as already mentioned – access to technology.

For this reason, choosing a Laser Eye Surgeon can be just as important as choosing a clinic. And there might be more things to consider than you think. In fact, while there are, of course, basic standards in place for being a Laser Eye surgeon. However, whether surgeons meet specific standards for being a Laser Eye surgeon, as set out by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and to what degree – as well as what additional or specialist training they have – can vary significantly.

All of this can, of course, have a bearing on the type of patients the surgeon is able to treat. Some clinics with less experienced surgeons may well be turning away a larger proportion of their prospective patients. In contrast, at London Vision Clinic, we are able to treat around 97% of the patients we see.

Many patients, who were not found suitable elsewhere, are surprised to find that they were found suitable at London Vision Clinic. That’s why we always recommend that you attend a comprehensive screening appointment with us – even if you have been turned away elsewhere.

So, to sum up, just because you have been told you are unsuitable for Laser Eye Surgery by one clinic, that doesn’t mean you can’t have treatment at all. In fact, a more accurate way to put it would be that the first clinic was unsuitable for you… Who knows about London Vision Clinic? The only way to find out is to attend a comprehensive screening appointment at our Harley Street Clinic.

If you’d like to learn more about your suitability for Laser Eye Surgery, why not get in touch with one of our friendly clinic coordinators? Alternatively, Book a Consultation to kickstart your Laser Eye Surgery journey today.