Celebrating 30 Years in Ophthalmology

2016 sees a milestone in David Gartry’s professional career as an Ophthalmologist – this year he celebrates 30 years in the speciality.

It all began in May 1986 where his first post as an ophthalmologist was as an SHO (Senior House Officer) at St Thomas’ Hospital, London. Two years later he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and The Royal College of Ophthalmologists. During this time major advances were being made in the field of refractive eye surgery and in 1989 David Gartry was the first surgeon in the UK to perform laser eye surgery.

He moved to Moorfields Eye Hospital in 1992 where he oversaw the first LASIK research and has published over 50 papers, 3 textbooks and several book chapters relating to laser eye surgery, cataract surgery and corneal surgery.

What followed has been an incredible journey that has seen huge leaps in technology to the point where laser eye surgery is now often a life changing procedure for patients. Treatments have gone from the older PRK technique to modern day wavefront-guided IntraLASIK which allows many people to get rid of their contact lenses or glasses and enjoy crystal clear vision.

Being involved with laser eye surgery for three decades has allowed David Gartry to witness huge leaps in the technology and equipment used, such as the lasers and diagnostic equipment, and therefore an improvement in patient results.

Cataract surgery has also seen the use of more innovative technologies with ‘femto-phako’ or ‘laser assisted cataract surgery’ being a game changer in the treatment of cataracts. Patients now enjoy safe, fast and comfortable eye surgery treatments thanks to the strides made in ophthalmology and David Gartry has very much been at the forefront of these advances.

In July 2015 David celebrated twenty years as a consultant surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital, and later that year (November 2015) cemented his legacy in ophthalmology by opening the prestigious ‘Wimpole Street Eye Clinic’ in the Harley Street medical district on Wimpole Street, London. This new facility has enabled patients to enjoy a calm, relaxing environment in which to be assessed by a professional team of optometrists and of course have their consultations with David himself.

‘It’s hard to imagine how far we have come in 30 years! Seeing the results that my patients achieve after surgery is one of the most rewarding aspects of my career. Laser eye surgery is now safe, painless and life changing for many (including myself!). It has truly been an inspirational journey for me and I look forward to welcoming patients for many years to come to our new clinic’