Professor Dan Reinstein Decided To Take The Long Path To Become A Laser Eye Surgery Specialist

Professor Dan Reinstein,  a pioneering laser eye surgeon and one of the first Ophthalmic Surgeons in the UK to focus all of his time on Laser Eye Surgery, shares his path and experiences as a laser eye surgeon, as well as developments in Laser Eye Surgery. The London Vision Clinic was founded by Prof Dan Reinstein.

Professor Reinstein Summarises His Path From Medical School To Laser Eye Surgery

Becoming a laser eye surgeon can be a very short path or it can be an extremely long path and I decided to take the long one. I went to medical school and became a doctor.  I then specialised in eye surgery, once I had specialised in eye surgery, I then specialised in one part of the eye which is called the cornea. That is the front window in front of the eye and once I was a cornea specialist, I then specialised in altering the cornea to change the focusing and that is Laser Eye Surgery.

Professor Reinstein Recalls His Years Of Laser Eye Surgery Training

So, if I count the number of years that I spent training that would be a total of 18 years. The laser that we use for laser eye surgery is a highly specific piece of equipment and because it is a very high energy laser, the light is absorbed in a very, very small area of the cornea. And it just so happens that you can change the shape of the cornea by thousandths of a millimetre and you can effect a change in the focussing of an eye.

Professor Reinstein On The Laser Eye Surgery Technology Today

“There is no way that this laser aimed at the eye can cause blindness. The laser that we use in laser eye surgery is very, very low power and there is no way that this laser aimed at the eye can cause blindness. In the last five years the safety of Laser Eye Surgery and that is with the best expertise, the best equipment and the best after care, has at least matched and maybe even surpassed the safety of contact lenses.”