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Consultant interview - Mr Alexander Ionides

Ionides, Alex

Mr Alexander Ionides is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon specialising in cataract and refractive surgery at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Moorfields Private Hospital. He is a teaching consultant with over 20 years of expertise, many published papers and is a member of both European and American Societies of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons.

What are your areas of expertise?

  • Refractive lens exchange
  • Laser eye surgery
  • Laser cataract surgery
  • LASIK vs LASEK
  • Implantable contact lens (ICL) surgery
  • Corneal abrasion
  • Cataract surgery
  • Astigmatism
  • Myopia (Short-sightedness; Near-sightedness)

Why do patients come to see you?

People tend to come and see me for advice on their cataracts, for refractive surgery to help get them out of glasses or simply because they have any number of problems with their eyes and vision.

Are you involved in research projects?

I no longer take part in laboratory-based research, which was the case with my original MD research into the genetics of cataracts, but I do still publish on clinical research.

How does your scientific research benefit your clinical practice?

Research into risks and complications as well as outcomes of cataract surgery helps to form a clearer idea of who is at risk of complications and what we can to do try to avoid these problems.

Why refer to Moorfields Private?

Moorfields has a wonderful array of consultants specialising in all aspects of eye care. There is rarely anything that one of us has not seen and treated before and at Moorfields we are lucky to have the best eye specialists in the world. In many ways it is the experience of the consultants that makes them reliable opinions. Our patients have access to the most advanced treatments in the state-of-the-art facilities and the latest equipment for best results.