When choosing where to have laser eye surgery, most patients naturally look at a clinic’s reputation, technology and surgical experience.
But there is another question that is just as revealing:
Who teaches the surgeons?
At London Vision Clinic, education has always been an integral part of our mission. Alongside providing world-class patient care, we are committed to advancing refractive surgery through research, innovation and education. Our goal is not only to achieve exceptional outcomes for our own patients, but to help raise standards of care for patients around the world.
The same surgeons who care for our patients every day also teach ophthalmologists from across the globe, contribute to university education and write the textbooks that help shape modern refractive surgery.
A Global Centre for Refractive Surgery Education
Since 2016, London Vision Clinic has hosted the Forefront Refractive Surgery Course, an intensive educational programme covering LASIK, PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision and SMILE.
Over the past decade, more than 1,200 ophthalmic surgeons from 86 countries have attended the course, making it one of the world’s leading educational programmes in corneal refractive surgery.
As demand has grown, the programme has expanded beyond London. The Forefront course has now been delivered in Lima, Peru, São Paulo, Brazil and Bangalore, India, with courses taking place this year in Mexico City and Manila, Philippines.
By taking the programme around the world, London Vision Clinic is helping surgeons in every region gain access to the latest evidence-based approaches to refractive surgery.
Unlike many educational meetings that focus primarily on theory, the Forefront course is built around real clinical practice. Delegates learn every stage of the patient journey, from patient selection and diagnostic evaluation to treatment planning, surgical technique, postoperative management and the management of complex cases and complications.
Promoting Standardisation to Improve Patient Safety
The aim of the Forefront course is not simply to teach surgical techniques.
Its broader objective is to promote standardisation throughout refractive surgery.
Variations in patient assessment, treatment planning, surgical technique and postoperative care can all influence visual outcomes. By sharing evidence-based protocols developed through decades of clinical experience and research, we aim to improve the consistency, safety and predictability of refractive surgery worldwide.
Every surgeon who adopts these principles has the potential to improve outcomes for thousands of future patients.
For us, education is one of the most effective ways of improving patient care, not only within our own clinic, but across the wider refractive surgery community.
Helping Shape the Next Generation of Refractive Surgeons
Our commitment to education extends far beyond our own courses.
In 2015, London Vision Clinic joined the faculty at Ulster University to write, update and teach the Postgraduate Diploma in Cataract and Refractive Surgery, known as PgDip CRS.
Professor Dan Reinstein and Professor Timothy Archer both serve as Visiting Professors at Ulster University, with London Vision Clinic providing more than 40% of the lecture material for the refractive surgery curriculum.
The programme has become one of the most comprehensive academic qualifications in refractive surgery and provides the theoretical foundation that enables surgeons to prepare for the Certificate in Laser Refractive Surgery, known as CertLRS, awarded by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, for which Professor Reinstein also acts as an examiner.
By contributing to university education, we are helping establish the next generation of refractive surgeons on a foundation of scientific evidence, critical thinking and best clinical practice.
Writing the Textbook Used Around the World
Education also extends beyond the lecture theatre.
Professor Dan Reinstein, Professor Timothy Archer and Dr Glenn Carp are the authors of The Surgeon’s Guide to SMILE, widely regarded as the definitive textbook on Small Incision Lenticule Extraction, known as SMILE.
Used internationally by surgeons learning SMILE, the book combines scientific evidence with practical experience gained from thousands of procedures. It covers patient selection, treatment planning, surgical technique, complication management and postoperative care, reflecting the same philosophy that underpins our clinical practice and teaching.
For many surgeons, the journey begins with the textbook before continuing at one of our training courses.
The Highest Praise We Receive
The statistic we are proudest of is not found in a survey. Instead, it is the comment we hear more often than any other from surgeons attending the Forefront course:
“This is the best course I have ever attended.”
That sentiment is reflected in feedback from previous delegates.
- 96% rated the course as Very Valuable or Extremely Valuable to their clinical practice.
- 76% said it has had a major influence on the way they practise refractive surgery.
- 95% said they would definitely recommend the course to a colleague.
What Experienced Surgeons Say
Perhaps the strongest endorsement comes from surgeons who are themselves recognised leaders in the field.
One delegate, who had been performing LASIK since 1999, served as Medical Director of a large laser vision correction network, trained surgeons on excimer and femtosecond laser platforms, and now chairs the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Basic and Clinical Science Course for Refractive Surgery, wrote after attending:
“A 10 out of 10 would be my review. After going through this course, I feel like a novice. I learned so much. I have already recommended his course to my colleagues. My last two fellows have taken it as well and I will recommend it to our incoming fellow.”
Comments such as these are especially meaningful because they come from surgeons who are themselves responsible for educating others.
The Greatest Vote of Confidence
The true impact of our educational programme is perhaps best illustrated by what happens at the end of almost every Forefront course: at least one attending ophthalmic surgeon decides not only to learn from us, but also to become our patient.
These are surgeons who understand refractive surgery in extraordinary detail. They know the technology, appreciate the importance of surgical planning and understand what distinguishes good surgery from exceptional surgery.
Their decision to entrust their own eyesight to London Vision Clinic is perhaps the greatest vote of confidence we could receive.
Education and Patient Care Go Hand in Hand
People sometimes ask why London Vision Clinic invests so much time in teaching other surgeons.
The answer is simple.
Teaching demands complete understanding. It requires continual research, careful analysis of outcomes, constant refinement of surgical techniques and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
Everything we teach has first been developed, evaluated and refined through our own clinical experience.
By sharing that knowledge with surgeons around the world, we hope to improve the quality, consistency and safety of refractive surgery for thousands of patients, not just those treated at London Vision Clinic, but wherever our delegates go on to practise.
For our own patients, it means receiving care from surgeons who are not simply following advances in refractive surgery, they are helping to create them, teach them and continually refine them.
Education is not separate from patient care.
At London Vision Clinic, it is one of the reasons our patient care continues to evolve.
