Londoners please advise!!!

[Lina]

Hi,

I've introduced myself under "I'm here too.." but as not everyone reads introductions I'm posting here.

Londoners, could you please recommend a good doctor who understands dry eye condition and also a place where I can have punctal plugs inserted.
Many thanks!

[brd888]

If you thoroughly read or search through old postings you will find much info.

I am not in London but understand you have the Moorfields eye hospital in the area.
Also Michel Guillon has been talked about a lot on these forums
http://www.michelguillon.com/vc.asp?id=2

Regards.

[eva b]

Hi Lina,

which part of London are you in - East, West, etc?

Can you give a little more detail of your condition - blepharitis, MGD, post lasik...that sort of thing.

I've seen an awful lot of medics, both privately and on the NHS but would need to know a bit more to recomment anyone specifically. Some of them have been a complete waste of time!!!

Personally, my main support and treatment has been my local optometrist of all people. Qualified in the USA and I think they have a different kind of training to the UK ones. He is an actual "Doctor". My main problem is MGD, the glands regularly get blocked despite all the compresses etc I do, and he expresses and unblocks them so that meibomian cysts don't form - he is absolutely brilliant. But if your condition is different or more complex then you may need someone different.

Anyway, let us have some more info and perhaps others will be able to chime in as well.

oh, and by the way, welcome to the community (but sorry you've got to be here, if you know what I mean lol)

[Lina]

I live in Central London but I'm willing to travel to the right doctor.

I had my LASIK back in April and I had it done in Russia (though I live in England), so I can't go back to see the doctor. My surgery was a "prescribed" one as apparently contact lenses had ruined my eyes and gave me this dry eye syndrom. So the surgery was supposed to treat it. It didn't.

I've been reading people's complaints and seems that my problem is a bit different. Though I do feel dryness in my eyes when I wake up in the morning, but my major concern is blurry vision (not redness or pain). I can't see well. Before I left hospital they checked my sight - it was 80%. they said that after dryness subsided, I'd see better. I still don't.

I may be undercorrected, but I think it's more about dry eyes. How I can tell is on these severe dry eyes days I have blurry vision even when I look at something close, not necessarily far. Letters on book pages would appear double and if the font is small (like instruction on medicine bottle) it would be like a thick dotted line to me. On better days I see more clearly.

I'd like to see a doctor who would know what to do with me. So far I hear only "go back to your surgeon".

[eva b]

Your problem certainly is very different from most peoples' on this board.
I'm sorry to say I don't really know what to suggest - it's not just a question of the dry eyes, but also a vision issue which require a surgeon's opinion.

My best advice would be to get in touch with Moorfields Eye Hospital. It's the biggest, and quite famous, teaching hospital in the UK (and is in London).

They do treat private patients a well as NHS, and if you look on their website you will find a contact number for the private sector clinic and I have been told that the people in that department understand opthalmology in detail and would be able to advise you which particular type of specialist would be the most appropriate for your case.

Sorry I can't offer any more concrete advice, best of luck anyway.

[markL]

Dr John Dart at Moorfields has been the most helpful eye doctor I have seen, and I have seen a lot. More than anything else he listened, was not in a hurry, and explained things carefully, and seemed to genuinely care.. makes a change from the usual arrogant w***ers that you are confronted with.. Contact details are on the Moorfields website..

Hope this helps..

[eva b]

Mark, I was very interested to see your post.
I was originally referred to Mr Dart, but he had such a long waiting list his practice manager passed me on to his colleague, who she said was just as knowledgeable - but he didn't help me much.

My question to you is: did Mr John Dart actually do anything to help you with your condition, other than explain? did he have treatment suggestions etc?

I'm simply wondering whether to try to re-book with Mr Dart, or whether I have by now found out most of the information there is about dry eye...

thanks

Eva

[Rebecca Petris]

I've been reading people's complaints and seems that my problem is a bit different. Though I do feel dryness in my eyes when I wake up in the morning, but my major concern is blurry vision (not redness or pain). I can't see well. Before I left hospital they checked my sight - it was 80%. they said that after dryness subsided, I'd see better. I still don't.

I may be undercorrected, but I think it's more about dry eyes.

Lina,

Have you had a full workup for non dry eye explanations for your blurry vision? While dry eye can cause or exacerbate blurry vision, in my experience with post LASIK vision problems dry eye can also be a red herring.

To get the full picture, you need:

1. A refraction (to see what your best-corrected visual acuity is - that will show under/overcorrection and to what extent it's causing the problem)

2. Topography (this can reveal irregularities, especially in the central cornea, that ought to help explain blur that remains even with corrective lenses)

3. Wavefront aberrometry (this can reveal higher order aberrations that will also have a lot to do with the blur).

[Lina]

I'm very thankful to everyone for the recommendations. I'm already trying to book with Moorfields Eye Hospital.

Rebecca,
I'm not sure if I've had the tests you mentioned. Today I've seen an optician for a regular eye checkup (whatever they do there) and she said that my vision can't be improved my lenses which means I'm not undercorrected. But she confirmed that I have extremely dry eyes. She is referring me to a specialist. I'll take a note of the tests you mentioned to ask for them.
Many thanks!

[Francesco]

If you think your Dry Eye case might need a prescribed drug...dont go to opticians go to an MD.