Laser Eye Surgery Is All About Trust, Says Harley Street Dentist
For most people, Laser Eye Surgery is a big deal. The process leading up to it might go something like this: we meet a friend or relative who is delighted to be glasses-free and we become curious and quiz them about the experience; or we might spot an article or watch a TV interview which whets our appetite and allows the dream of having unaided good vision begin to take shape. Inspired to do something about it, most of us will then embark on researching clinics and surgeons and methods of funding.
The length of time from the first seed being sewn to booking an assessment appointment will vary from patient to patient depending on our character and individual level of spontaneity and impatience. The direction that our research then takes us will also play a big part in the process. Because our eyes are so precious and we rightly value our sight so highly, we must feel completely confident in our chosen clinic and surgeon. It was this area that had proved to be a stumbling block and prevented a Harley Street dentist from having the Laser Eye Surgery he had always wanted.
Discovering London Vision Clinic
Before coming to the London Vision Clinic, dental surgeon, Mark Hughes had not felt the necessary level of confidence and trust… so he had waited twenty years to have his short sightedness and astigmatism corrected.
“I had wanted to get my eyes done for practical reasons for – my work – and also for the obvious social reasons; but because of the implications on my profession, I had never before had enough trust in either the procedure or the person who would be carrying it out to go through with it”, said Mark who has been short sighted since the age of fourteen.
An expert in cosmetic and restorative dentistry, Mark had had his prescription added to each piece of magnification and optical equipment necessary for his profession. “This meant that I was constantly swapping glasses and magnification items and although I longed to be free of all that, it wasn’t until I met Dan Reinstein and the team at the London Vision Clinic that I felt the confidence to go ahead.
“As a fellow medical practitioner, I needed to know exactly what to expect and – after twenty years – this felt like the right time, the right person and the right place.
“Previously I had been told that, because of my astigmatism and the severity of my prescription, I would only be able to expect a limited result; but Dan was able to show me that, with the latest techniques available at the London Vision Clinic, this was no longer the case.”
His then fiancée (now wife), Salima, was also watching Mark’s LASIK experience closely. As a professional musician with a successful solo career playing the oboe, Salima was getting fed up with her own sight issues and wearing contact lenses on stage. A few months later she followed Mark’s example and had had her own short-sightedness corrected before their wedding. Salima has since switched careers and now works as a jeweller. Click here to visit her website. Having unaided great sight and not having to juggle specs with the detailed magnifying equipment she uses in the workplace has allowed her to enjoy her new found vision further.
As the founder and clinical director of the Harley Street Dental Studio, Mark had a special interest in experiencing first-hand the London Vision Clinic patient journey.
The London Vision Clinic Journey
“I was tremendously impressed with every aspect. I had chosen to have my operation early in the morning and – although I must have been the first in a long line of patients that day – I was made to feel as if I were the only one.
“I appreciated the calming and quiet atmosphere in the surgical area and the privacy and unhurried, professional way the procedure and post op medication was explained. I loved all the little treats- like the chocolate and relaxing head and shoulder massage.
“The whole process was exceptionally smooth and efficient while each step was explained clearly by well-qualified and pleasant staff. The system was brilliantly organised and I knew that this was the level of patient service that I wanted for my own practice: a centre of absolute medical excellence.”
It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and a couple of years later and the new Harley Street Dental Studio, in its own building at 52 Harley Street, is on the brink of opening to patients with a hand-picked international team of dental clinicians, nurses and care coordinators. As with the London Vision Clinic at number 138, transforming a listed Georgian building into a state of the art, 21st century medical establishment has been a massive refurbishment project. The six storey dental centre will incorporate the practices of cosmetic dentistry, orthodontics as well as specialist and general dentistry currently at separate locations on Harley Street. For more information, visit the Harley Street Dental Studio.
