OPTEGRA Drop-Free Surgery Wins International Award

OPTEGRA Drop-Free Surgery Wins International Award

Optegra Consultant Surgeon, Mr Pedro Muel, was proud to share outcomes from Optegra’s drop-free NHS cataract surgery at the recent SECOIR event.

As well as marking his 40^th year at the event, to top it off, he also won an award for best oral communication in lens surgery at the event, which is the Spanish equivalent of UKISCRS.

Mr Muel said: “Drop-free cataract surgery has made a huge different to our Optegra UK patients, in terms of medical efficacy as well as improved convenience.  We wanted to share the results in Spain also, to help begin the conversation about this revolutionary progression in patient care.

“In fact the President of SECOIR found the results so interesting that he also invited me to share the results on the main stage where the latest innovations in ophthalmology are discussed.  We discussed the pros and cons and shared the evidence – in Spain, this is very different to their approach, breaking with everything they do there, but it was met with great interest and excitement.

“This was a first step to achieving real change for cataract surgery in España.”

Optegra has now performed drop-free surgery on over 17,000 NHS patients and outcomes over the past year include:

* 17,056 eyes treated with drop-free cataract surgery

* 2.9% Cystoid Macular Odema (CMO) rate versus the ‘standard’ drop regime rate of 3.55%

* 0.52% Intraocular pressure (IOP) rate versus the standard drop regime rate of 0.68%

On a personal note, Mr Muel was delighted to share the celebration with his father, also an ophthalmologist, who first brought him to SECOIR as a three-year-old child forty years ago. He says:

“It was even more special to share this event with my father, who has himself introduced drop-free surgery to some of his patients in Gijon, Spain; particularly for elderly patients who live alone and who would have struggled with administering many drops.

“He is very impressed with the outcomes and received the award on my behalf at the end of the conference.  We share a passion for providing exceptional eye health, and so to share this experience together was wonderful.”

About Optegra

Optegra Eye Health Care is a specialist provider of ophthalmic services. Established in 2007, with its first hospital opening in 2008, it has completed over one million eye procedures from its 74 eye hospitals across the UK, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Holland.

As well as providing private vision correction treatments – from lens replacement and laser eye surgery to implantable contact lenses – Optegra treats cataract surgery both privately and through its partnership with the NHS. Optegra also treats medical conditions AMD and glaucoma; and has launched the first ever treatment for people with the Dry form of AMD.

Optegra is owned by EssilorLuxottica, a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of advanced vision care products, eyewear and med-tech solutions.  Backed by robust R&D investments, distinctive capabilities and a top-quality asset portfolio, the Company drives innovation across eye health.

Optegra brings together leading-edge research, medical expertise and state-of-the-art surgical equipment.  It performs more than 170,000 treatments annually, both private and publicly funded. Its top ophthalmic surgeons are renowned for their areas of expertise, offering excellent clinical outcomes and great patient service.