Dr Valerie Saw- Expert Laser Eye Surgery & London Dry Eye Specialist

How to do cataract surgery in ocular surface disease: European Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons
At the European Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons meeting in Lisbon this month, I had the honour of hosting another brilliant ocular surface masterclass! Topics included new treatments and how to optimise cataract surgery for patients with ocular surface disease due to glaucoma, herpes simplex and zoster, neurotrophic keratopathy and Stevens -Johnson Syndrome. We enjoyed excellent presentations by Professor Elisabeth Messmer from Munich, Professor Marc Labetoulle from Paris, Dr Antonio Di Zazzo from Rome, and myself. Great interaction from the audience! I was delighted to be joined by my friend and colleague Namrata Sharma, who has published great work in Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

Thank you Graham and Ms D, for the great reviews!

How to Prepare for Refractive Surgery: British Society for Refractive Surgery
At the British Society for Refractive Surgery annual meeting last weekend I had the honour of speaking about "How to prepare patients for refractive surgery and optimising patient selection". The Refractive Surgery Day on optimising outcomes of refractive surgery had fantastic interactive discussion and world class talks by Renato Ambrosio, Gerd Auffarth, Detlef Holland, Detlev Breyer, Bruce Allan, Erik Mertens, myself and James Ball. We received great feedback from attendees. Thank you to all the international speakers and to Sanjay Mantray, Sunil Shah, President Amit Patel, the BSRS council members and Jan Allsopp for their help in making the meeting a success!

Happy New Year!
Thank you everyone for a fantastic year last year, especially my patients, who have been brilliant. Thank you for the kind words from Leonardo and Lauren, whose reviews are below. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy year ahead, fulfilling their aspirations. Look forward to helping you with your eyesight if you are considering eye surgery!

How to choose a LASIK surgeon?
There are many excellent laser eye surgeons. Deciding who the right person is for you, is an important personal decision. Your eyesight is precious and must be in the safest of hands!
Several factors are important. See my blog http://valeriesaw.com/blog/for a video and more information.

Ocular Surface Masterclass at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Meeting
At the European Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) Meeting in Copenhagen last week, I had the honour of hosting an outstanding Ocular Surface Masterclass for cataract surgeons! Fantastic problem-oriented and evidence based talks by Prof. Elisabeth Messmer from Munich, Prof. Jim McCulley from Texas, Dr Anna Maria Roszkowska from Rome. Great feedback from the audience!

Is LASIK safe in the long term? How long does the effect of LASIK surgery last?
For treatment of myopia (short sight) up to -10, there are now several studies reporting good safety and long term outcomes between 10-16 years post operatively, for both LASIK and PRK. For hyperopia (long sight), there are also reports of good safety up to 16 years post-operatively.
Regarding how long the effect of LASIK lasts, for myopia (short sight) with a low to moderate prescription (less ...than -6.0), the long term results are excellent and the effects are likely to last for at least 20 years or more.
See http://valeriesaw.com/blog/ for more information
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Does Wearing Contact Lenses Affect the Outcome of LASIK Surgery?
Wearing contact lenses, even for many years, does not influence the outcome of LASIK surgery, providing the eye is healthy.
It is important to discontinue contact lens wear prior to having a consultation for LASIK surgery. This is because the contact lens temporarily alters the shape of the cornea.
... Sometimes contact lens wear induces dry eye, but this usually resolves once contact lens wear is discontinued.
If one has developed a corneal scar following an eye infection due to contact lens wear, it can be more challenging to carry out laser eye surgery.
See http://valeriesaw.com/blog/ for more information
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When is the Best Age to have LASIK surgery?
The ideal age to have LASIK surgery is between the ages of 21 and 60 years old. More important than age is that the eye is healthy, and the spectacle refraction has been stable for at least 2 years. If the refraction is stable, this means that the treatment is then likely to be successful in correcting the vision long term.
See http://valeriesaw.com/blog/ for more information.

What are the Different Types of Laser Eye Surgery?
One of the first steps in making sure you have an excellent outcome from laser eye surgery is to understand about the different types of laser surgery available.
The two commonest types of laser eye surgery carried out are
... LASIK: a flap is cut in the cornea with the Femtosecond laser, then the Excimer laser shapes the cornea to correct the prescription of the eye. Vision is excellent within a few days.
LASEK: the surface of the cornea is gently removed, then the Excimer laser shapes the cornea to correct the prescription of the eye. This is safer for people who enjoy boxing or martial arts, as there is no potential risk of the flap dislodging with a strong injury to the eye. Vision takes 10 days or so to recover.
Depending on the glasses prescription being treated, long term outcomes are similar for both procedures.
I was invited by Clinic Compare* to do this educational video. See http://valeriesaw.com/blog/.
I hope you find it helpful.
[*No financial interest]
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Presbyopia Correction with Multifocal Implants: British Society for Refractive Surgery
At the recent British Society for Refractive Surgery (BSRS) Annual Meeting I had the honour of speaking about Multifocal Intraocular Implants for Presbyopia Correction. See http://valeriesaw.com/blog/ for more information.
There was a lively debate about presbyopic laser correction versus multifocal implants, which the speakers and audience enjoyed!

From High Street to Harley Street: Dry Eye Management
At 100% Optical last week I had the pleasure of speaking on Dry Eye Management with my dry eye expert optometrist colleague Caroline Christie.
High Street optometrists play an important role in managing dry eye. Having a comprehensive protocol to assess dry eye patients is essential. A major factor in successful dry eye management is effective treatment of Meibomian oil gland dysfunction and evaporative dry eye. Know when to refer to a specialist ophthalmologist. See my blog http://valeriesaw.com/blog/ for more information!

Fuchs Dystrophy and DMEK surgery
I'm delighted to have been invited to speak about Fuchs Dystrophy and the newest form of endothelial keratoplasty DMEK (Descemet's Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty) to a packed audience at 100% Optical last week. Lots of interest, great questions from the audience!

Which is Safer, Contact Lenses or LASIK?
It is generally assumed that wearing contact lenses is safer than LASIK. LASIK is a surgical procedure, whilst wearing contact lenses is not.
However, contact lens wear (especially swimming or showering in contact lenses – BIG NO NOs!- or overnight lens wear) can be associated with infection which causes permanent corneal damage and loss of vision.
... In my latest blog http://valeriesaw.com/blog/ you'll find more information which can help answer this question.
It’s important to note that the risks for vision loss are low, that is, the studies highlight how safe both LASIK and contact lenses are.
Is there anything you can do, to make sure your eyes are safe?
Making sure conditions are favourable for (A) an excellent outcome with LASIK, or (B) an excellent outcome with contact lens wear, are the best ways to avoid vision loss either way.
Stay tuned to my blog for more information about how to ensure you get to (A) or (B)!
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Pemphigoid and Pemphigus are rare autoimmune bullous diseases which unfortunately can involve the eyes.
Patient information about Ocular Cicatricial Pemphigoid (also known as Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid), a sight-threatening eye disease occurring in Pemphigoid patients, is scarce. I've put information on my website about Ocular Cicatricial Pemphigoid, which I hope patients will find helpful.
Patient organisations like PEM Friends UK http://pemfriends.co.uk, and the International Pemphigus and Pemphigoid Foundation, play a crucial role to connect people who have been diagnosed with these rare diseases. It can be isolating and scary to feel alone while living with one of these diseases, so it’s important to put patients in touch. Keep up the great work, PEM Friends UK and IPPF!