Refractive surgery

Clinicians in this service treat refractive errors with precision laser surgery and specialised lens implants.

Clinicians in this service treat refractive errors with precision laser surgery and specialised lens implants.

Appointment information020 7566 2205

Refractive service
Moorfields Eye Hospital
162 City Road
London
EC1V 2PD

What this service does

The refractive surgery team uses precision laser eye surgery techniques and specialised lens implants to correct focusing problems such as short sight (myopia), long sight (hypermetropia), irregular focus (astigmatism) and loss of reading vision (presbyopia).

This type of surgery is available for NHS patients only if they have focusing problems that cannot be corrected by glasses or contact lenses.  Such problems are usually caused by irregular focus (astigmatism) or unequal focus (anisometropial) which can complicate corneal transplant or cataract surgery.

Our private patient unit, Moorfields Private, provides a full range of refractive surgical techniques for people who would like greater freedom from spectacles and contact lenses.

 

How do I make an appointment with this service?

If you are a private (fee-paying) patient looking for sight correction using refractive surgery, you can arrange a consultation directly with our private patient unit, Moorfields Private.

If you are an NHS patient, you will need to be referred to the refractive team by your GP or hospital consultant.  If you choose to be treated at Moorfields, we will send you a letter confirming the date, time and location of your appointment with us.

Other useful contacts

For treatment for urgent, sight-threatening problems and for issues that cannot wait for a routine appointment with your GP, you can come directly to our dedicated A&E department which is based in Moorfields Eye Hospital in London’s City Road. A&E is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

You can also get information and advice on eye conditions and treatments from our telephone helpline, Moorfields Direct, on 020 7566 2345. Staffed by experienced ophthalmic-trained nurses, the helpline is open from 9am to 9pm, Monday to Friday and from 8.30am to 5pm, on Saturdays. At busy times, we might not be able to answer your call straight away - please bear with us and call back a little later if this happens.