What is your training, background and experience as a glaucoma surgeon?

I trained in Oxford and London and I spent 2 years to glaucoma fellowship at Imperial College, that’s where my NHS practice is as well. I offer the full package of glaucoma care, so I’ve done many glaucoma operations, lasers and I’ve seen lots of patients who’ve been on drops they can’t tolerate and I’m able to find the solution for those patients as a glaucoma surgeon.

I also do a lot of cataract surgeries. The cataracts are very common and I operate on routine cataracts, but I also specialise in cataract surgery in glaucoma patients, because we find that doing extra 15 minutes at the end of the case makes huge difference to the major of your glaucoma care and also the vision.

I also like emergency care and primary care ophthalmology, so I spend one session a week in an emergency clinic. If you have something that’s just happened to you that day such as itchy burny eyes or watery eyes, you vision’s been blurred, then I have expertise on that as well and we have an open access in emergency department where you can walk in anytime. It means that I’m really up-to-date with anything in acute ophthalmology and there isn’t really anything that I haven’t seen before.

I’m also very lucky to have lots of testimonials from patients and colleagues. They like coming to see me and I feel always very reassured that patients keep coming back what means you must be doing something right. It’s not only about clinical excellence, but also about spending time, discussing the options, making sure that patients really understand what’s wrong with their eyes, because if it was me, I would want to know. That’s why I try to give patients as much information as possible, so that they understand why we are giving them the treatment that we give to make it easy for people.

My glaucoma surgery complication rates are very low, lower than an actual average glaucoma surgeon. I also train junior glaucoma surgeons, so I have plenty of experience in plenty of surgeries. The aftercare is really important, so I believe very much that we are support our patients all the way through. This is what I in my NHS practice do and there’s no difference in my private practice as well.

More about Laura Crawley

Ms Laura Crawley is a Consultant Ophthalmologist at Clinica London, Imperial College Western Eye Hospital, and The London Clinic. Her special expertise is in treating glaucoma patients as well as patients with glaucoma and cataracts. She has a lot of experience in treating glaucoma, and has published extensively in scientific journals and on medical education. She still does a lot of emergency operations at the emergency department at the Charing Cross and Western Eye Hospitals for the NHS. At Clinica London she is responsible for glaucoma patients and glaucoma patients with cataracts. She also sees patients with general eye problems.