Ultralase
Encyclopedia
Ultralase is a healthcare company based in the United Kingdom
that specialises in vision correction through laser eye surgery
.
clinic, opened by US-based investors in Toronto
(1989), the UK's first ever laser eye surgery clinic was opened at Clatterbridge
hospital, Wirral
in January 1991. This clinic was the first to perform laser eye surgery in the UK, and expanded to become the Ultralase network.
Ultralase was purchased by 3i following the £175m purchase from Corporacion Dermoestetica in January 2008 , who had bought the business in May 2005 for £29m. Ultralase’s management team comprises Commercial Director Jon Hughes, Clinical Services Director Mark Korolkiewicz and CEO Tony Veverka.
Ultralase is one of the three main players focusing on laser eye surgery in the UK. The other two being Optical Express and Optimax.
politician, made a motion
on 4 February 2004 concerning laser eye surgery and mentioning Ultralase in the British House of Commons
:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
that specialises in vision correction through laser eye surgery
Eye surgery
Eye surgery, also known as orogolomistician surgery or ocular surgery, is surgery performed on the eye or its adnexa, typically by an ophthalmologist.-Preparation and precautions:...
.
Overview and history
Established in 1991 by US based ophthalmologist Claus Fichte, optometrist Andrew Bell and business man Christopher Neave, Ultralase were the first to introduce a national network of laser eye surgery clinics in the UK. Following the success of the world's first refractive surgeryRefractive surgery
Refractive eye surgery is any eye surgery used to improve the refractive state of the eye and decrease or eliminate dependency on glasses or contact lenses. This can include various methods of surgical remodeling of the cornea or cataract surgery. The most common methods today use excimer lasers to...
clinic, opened by US-based investors in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
(1989), the UK's first ever laser eye surgery clinic was opened at Clatterbridge
Clatterbridge
Clatterbridge is a hamlet located on the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is situated to the west of the town of Bebington, close to the M53 motorway....
hospital, Wirral
Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, in North West England. It has a population of 311,200, and encompasses of the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula. Major settlements include Birkenhead, Wallasey, Bebington, Heswall, Hoylake and West Kirby. The city of...
in January 1991. This clinic was the first to perform laser eye surgery in the UK, and expanded to become the Ultralase network.
Ultralase was purchased by 3i following the £175m purchase from Corporacion Dermoestetica in January 2008 , who had bought the business in May 2005 for £29m. Ultralase’s management team comprises Commercial Director Jon Hughes, Clinical Services Director Mark Korolkiewicz and CEO Tony Veverka.
Ultralase is one of the three main players focusing on laser eye surgery in the UK. The other two being Optical Express and Optimax.
Ultralase in the House of Commons
Dr. Ashok Kumar, a British Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician, made a motion
Motion (parliamentary procedure)
In parliamentary procedure, a motion is a formal proposal by a member of a deliberative assembly that the assembly take certain action. In a parliament, this is also called a parliamentary motion and includes legislative motions, budgetary motions, supplementary budgetary motions, and petitionary...
on 4 February 2004 concerning laser eye surgery and mentioning Ultralase in the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
:
- "Laser eye surgery was developed by the ophthalmologist Dr. Steven Trokel in 1987, and first used on a patient in Germany in 1988. The first laser eye treatment clinic using Dr. Trokel's laser was founded by US-based investors in Toronto in 1989. Following the success of the US operation, the first UK clinic was opened at Clatterbridge hospital, in Wirral, in January 1991. It grew into a string of clinics now known as Ultralase, one of Britain's foremost laser eye treatment providers."
- "...While researching the subject, I have become aware that there are those who exemplify the best practice, which I feel needs to be rolled out across the sector. Ultralase—whose chairman, Christopher Neave, is also chief executive of the relatively new industry body, the Eye Laser Association—is one of the larger independent health care providers in the laser eye surgery sector. It does not simply operate within company standards, which appear to be more severe than those required at the statutory level at present. Indeed, during a recent meeting I was most impressed to note that certain changes that I recommended are to be added to its guidance as a direct result of our meeting."
Laser eye surgery services
Ultralase perform the following forms of laser eye surgery:- LASIKLASIKLASIK or Lasik , commonly referred to simply as laser eye surgery, is a type of refractive surgery for correcting myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism...
- Where a corneal flap is surgically created and lifted, allowing the laser to reshape the layer underneath. - LASEKLasekLasek may refer to:*LASEK or photorefractive keratectomy, a laser eye surgery technique*Lasek, Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Lasek, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship *Lasek, Łódź Voivodeship...
- Similar to LASIK, except a solution is used to soften the surface cells, which are lifted back. - Intraocular lensIntraocular lensAn intraocular lens is an implanted lens in the eye, usually replacing the existing crystalline lens because it has been clouded over by a cataract, or as a form of refractive surgery to change the eye's optical power. It usually consists of a small plastic lens with plastic side struts, called...
(IOL) - Implanting a type of lens inside the eye rather than on its surface. - Ultra-CK - Reshaping the cornea with the use of radio waves.