OPTIMAX | ULTRALASE

🍿 in the bin, because, unsurprisingly, the case against Dr Mohammad Ghassan Ayoubi was settled just before 4pm this afternoon - for approximately £500k!



The claimant (who I won't name without her permission), is now in her late forties, aged 37 when she had Lasek eye surgery, causing extreme photo sensitivity, and corneal neuralgia, leaving her to suffer unbearable pain ever since.

Whether Russell Ambrose stepped in, or the insurers agreed to pay, at this point I don't have that information.

However, since yesterday's post I have been contacted by more Optimax patients damaged by Ayoubi, and I guarantee that now he's moved to work for their competitor, it wont be long before I'm contacted by some of his Optical Express damaged patients 👀

In the interests of transparency, it should be told that this was far from being Ayoubi's first encounter with lawyers and litigation.

A few years ago, as one of the NHS paediatric ophthalmologists at King Edward VII Hospital in Windsor, I understand that Ayoubi was involved in a tragic case concerning a young girl with Aniridia (iris abnormality), after he allegedly failed to diagnose glaucoma.

That case was settled for approximately £4 million, paid by the NHS hospital trust.

Like so many of these 🤠 refractive surgeons, this is another incompetent and DANGEROUS man, who should not be operating on anyone, and I trust that David Moulsdale is now reconsidering Ayoubi’s contract with Optical Express, because while his company cannot afford any more legal claims, more importantly, customers should not be deliberately put at risk!

Meanwhile, Dr Ayoubi should also be reported to the General Medical Council (GMC), useless though they are, the mounting number of serious complaints against him need to be on record!

Dr Mohammad Ghassan Ayoubi is currently operating for Optical Express, yet Optimax Eye Surgery Specialists and Ultralase Eye Clinics Ltd surprisingly still have him listed as one of their surgeons.*



Scheduled for trial at the Royal Courts of Justice, starting on Tuesday, 3-6 October, this will only be the second refractive surgery case to reach a hearing, as all UK refractive cases have been settled out of court since Stephanie Holloway’s landmark victory v Optical Express and Dr Joanna McGraw in 2014.

September 2022, as a result of mediation following legal proceedings issued by another of Dr Ayoubi’s damaged patients, against both the doctor and Ultralase, to protect his company name (and keep it out of the press), lawyers for Ultralase & Optimax owner (Russell Ambrose) agreed to pay £220k to settle the claim on behalf of the company and Ayoubi.

The claimant was told they would ask Ayoubi for recompense later, but whether this happened no one knows.

Similarly, this current case was brought against both Optimax and Dr Ayoubi, but Russell Ambrose allegedly agreed to settle >150k out of court, leaving Ayoubi as sole defendant.

So while the insurers have no interest in protecting a doctor's reputation, only their costs, it is possible that Russell might again step in to settle this out of court. (Hopefully not, as I've bought popcorn 👀)

But if it isn’t settled, and does go ahead on Tuesday, the court timetable will be listed on the RCJ website by 4pm tomorrow, and I will update you then.

*In June 2019 Optimax boasted on their website that Dr Ayoubi had performed '42 procedures in 1 day' (removed after I published screenshot of this disturbing information) - see 27 August 2019 post: www.opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk/ind...my-life-discuss/6953

Hello
Had surgery at Optimax in November 2021. Had no video consultation none at all really. I had an eye test or 2 to make sure I was compatible to have surgery. They told me I would be having a single distance lens as I'm a HGV driver it's illegal to have a multifocal lens. But I wanted a multifocal lens they said no we cannot do it as DVLA would take my licence away. I have since found out this is a load of tosh. Given a form to take home and 2 week to thing about it . Paid my deposit before I went for surgery.
On the surgery day i was told I need to sign the form for surgery. I signed in wrong place.
Opticain looked at my eyes and said we will put drops in before surgery. Was sat there 2 hours because they were running behind. Had more drops then the optician said I will take you in and get you ready. I said are you doing it but he never replied. I was laid down with a cover over my head and next minute he made a hole in the sheet for my eye surgery.
Now something went wrong during surgery the surgeon run out of the door and I could hear the panic in his breathing, almost heard him say shit. He was gone about 4 mins maximum Then he ran back in and my eye was pulled to the left. The lights i was looking at all shot to the right side.Could hear him puffing and panting in my left ear Then after surgery 5 mins later I sat up and was asked to take a seat in reception. I still do not know why a qualified surgeon would run out of room . Like he was asking someone what do I do. Dr Ilango signed my form but no idea if it was llango that did my lens operation. Now I have extreme dry eye and blepharitis. Apparently I had this in both eyes before surgery. Not a happy customer.
Can you help me please?
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admin: Please send your phone number to: sasha@mybeautifuleyes.co.uk

I had lens replacement surgery in Feb 2023 with Dr Ilango at Optimax Leeds, from start to finish my experience was not a pleasant one and since surgery my eyes have been worse than before, I still have to wear glasses and am in daily pain with my eyes and also headaches.
I am only 45 and I honestly wish I had never had the surgery in the first place and just stayed with wearing my glasses.
From my personal experience I would advise anyone looking into this type of surgery to stay well away as its not worth the issues.

Hi, I had implantable contact lens (and subsequent laser treatment) at Optimax in 2004. I have had no contact with Optimax since then.
After a problem with the lenses was identified by an optician this year, I contacted Optimax asking for a consultation with them to check this out.
The result of this consultation has left me very worried. I have also just read the Daily Mail 2021 article and am shocked that I was not contacted.
Can you please recommend a solicitor that could help me?
Thank you in advance.

Denise
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admin: Please send your phone number to: sasha@mybeautifuleyes.co.uk

Good day.

I was looking if had anyone had any previous experience of my current situation.

I have LASEK in both eyes in 2002 with optimax and in the last 3 years have had to have cornea cross linking procedures to stabilize the thickness of my corneas.

Just recently been told that I may need further !

I am annoyed ( along with many others ) as with my eye condition I should never have been advised to have laser eye surgery

Hi Asif Ali,

I was going to book an appointment with Dr Mani when I read your review, please could you clarify what sort of issues former patients had and where can I find more information about this? I have checked many websites and this is the first and only bad review about Dr Mani so I'd love to know more, thank you.
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admin: This, and OptimaxRuinedMyLife.co.uk, are the only UK websites where you will find the truth about the unregulated refractive eye surgery, the surgeons who perform it, and the very real risks that the industry don’t publish!
Like the majority of his colleagues, Amir Mani has left many of his patients with irreparably damaged vision, and I advise that you read more topics to understand what can happen, whether you have laser or lens surgery.
It doesn’t matter who the surgeon is, the risks are the same, and since 2012, My Beautiful Eyes Foundation patient advocacy service has helped many thousands of people who will forever regret their decision to undergo refractive eye surgery.
If you’re determined to play Russian roulette with your eyes, I recommend that you ask Dr Mani himself how many of his patients have suffered problems, and how many of them are suing him, including his Optical Express patients.
If you’re still not convinced that surgery is a bad idea, ask him to provide a written guarantee that your eyes will be fine, but if there’re any post op problems he’ll be able to fix them, no matter whether it takes 12 months or 12 years.
Meanwhile, google “Sasha Rodoy MBEF” for more info

Fun day out of the office, with Optimax Ruined My Life website owner, Leigh Stace, at Optimax Finchley Road premises.



A very successful day, that included two people who decided not to even bother attending their scheduled consultations after we'd fully informed them of the real risks

And whilst talking with one person, trying to avoid being seen by us, owner Russell Ambrose snuck out the side entrance of the building.

Wearing one of his two favourite vintage blue jackets, he didn't look happy to see me when I caught up to say hello!

And I even wore my cross eyed teddy bear cap to make him smile!

Oh well, maybe next week...

Thursday 14 April, operating day at Optimax, performed by Dr Amir Mani



This man gets around, his Optimal Vision practice sharing space with Oculase surgeon Dr Tariq Ayoub at 22A Harley Street, conveniently in the same building as Optical Express.

This Pick n Mix doctor was previously employed by Optimax, then moved to Optical Express, currently listed as an 'Independent Practitioner’ on their website: www.opticalexpress.co.uk/about/surgeons/amir-mani

Before posting this today, I called Optimal Vision and spoke with a very helpful woman named Sheri, who told me that she was previously clinical assistant at Optimax's Harley Street clinic, until Russell Ambrose made her redundant in 2020.*

And before identifying myself, I also asked her about the ‘promotion on all refractive surgery this month’, mentioned in the voice recording when you call Optimal Vision...

If you have a low prescription & no astigmatism, it’s a bargain basement price of £2,800 - but don’t all rush at once, because Dr Amir Mani is, like most others in this industry, being sued by a number of his patients with ruined vision.

Wherever they are, the purpose of our demos is to raise awareness, to do our utmost to ensure that people are fully informed of the risks before undergoing unregulated refractive surgery. If they then choose to play Russian roulette with their eyes, they can’t later say they weren’t fully informed should they suffer any damage!

Thursday yielded at least one successful outcome, when a man in his mid thirties, arriving for Lasik surgery, decided to cancel after speaking with us. He (‘A') was accompanied by his friend (‘M’), who’d also attended the initial consultation, when both were told their eyes were perfect for surgery! But ‘M' was not happy with the hard sell, or the information, and being more cautious than his friend, he decided not to take the risk.

Their story became more interesting when ‘M' told us that ‘A' had been turned down for surgery by Optical Express (who, as I always say, will operate on a blind person), exhibiting an unusual problem with his left eye - that was visible even to us!

Yet Dr Mani, this time operating out of Optimax, had agreed to operate without any attempt to identify the problem - that obviously needs medical investigation, and ‘M' said that he was therefore very surprised to later find that Dr Mani was working at Optical Express too.**

I found it very sad when a young women in her early 20s confirmed that she was on her way in for surgery, but didn't stop when I suggested that she might find it beneficial to let us give her some information about the risks of surgery before proceeding. She replied that she wasn’t interested in hearing it!

Her mother turned up a little later, and when I explained my work as patient advocate, and said that I hoped her daughter won’t have any post op problems, but just in case… she willingly took my card and information sheets and put them in her handbag.

*Declared insolvency in 2020 and entered a CVA for 4 year
**’A’ believed he was an Optimax customer, but as we saw patients leaving with Optimal Vision goodie bags, and Russell Ambrose is trying to replenish the coffers by renting out his premises, this needs to be confirmed.

In August 2007 I paid Optimax who sent me to a Nuffield private hospital in Wolverhampton to have an ICL implanted in one of my eyes by Dr Jan Venter. A week later I went through the same procedure on my other eye.
I was ecstatic as the next day I could see clearly after years of wearing glasses. My prescription pre op was -12.75, so even the little things like being able to read the labels of the shampoo and conditioner bottles meant so much to me. I could go swimming without being guided and I could enjoy going to the gym and dancing. I could see my kids when they awoke in the night and play with them without the fear of my glasses being broken.
I was told that my implants were for life and that I would only need them taking out if my prescription significantly changed. I thought it was the best decision I had ever made and went about my life.
Fast forward to 2nd April 2022 when my world was turned upside down - and now it's the worst decision I ever made!
In 2016 I received a letter from Optimax saying I needed to go for a check up and an endothelial cell count check.
After paying £50 for this appointment I made my way to Leicester and was in there less than 5 minutes. I was told that everything was OK and that my eyes were healthy. I was never told the importance of these checks, and they hadn’t been mentioned to me in 2007 by Optimax or the surgeon Dr Jan Venter, and to be honest it seemed like a money making scheme.
I heard nothing more from Optimax until late 2021 when I received an email and a telephone call inviting me to make an appointment for another ECC in Leicester. I told them that Covid had hit my family hard and we struggling for money so couldn’t afford to pay for this and travel to Leicester.
I was then constantly bombarded with telephone calls from a woman who was rather rude and spoke down to me like I was a child. She said they would do the ECC at a lower price of £35 and then they lowered it to £25. She called me again and said that the optometrist needed to see me because he was concerned that my cell count was low in 2016 - news to me because they didn’t say a word at the time!
Because of this and the lower price I made the appointment and attended on Saturday 2nd April 2022.
I had the ECC done and was then told that I needed to have my right implant explanted ASAP!
The optician said my cell count in 2007 was around 2500, around 2000 in 2016, my right eye now around 1510, and my left eye around 1800.
He said I could wear a contact lens afterwards and a few months later I would need the left lens explanted. I could then go back to wearing contact lenses and glasses.
I was in shock and disbelief as I was told these ICLs were for life.
I was given a patient information leaflet and I noticed that it said you can't wear a contact lens until at least 3-4 weeks after having the implants removed, meaning I wouldn't be able to drive, so how was I supposed to get to work, and I have kids? When I pointed this out he just laughed and said oh so you have read that bit then.
I was then told that they could provide RLE surgery instead, as the lenses sit differently in the eye so it would be better. When I went for the original consultation for ICLs they told me then that this was a cataract operation and I wouldn't get cataracts due to the implants, so to hear that RLE was actually the cataract procedure shocked me. He said they would be reluctant to do the this until I was 50 due to the risk of the retina becoming detached. I asked how much it would cost and I was told around £3000. I was told to go home and digest the information I had been given and then give them a call to arrange an appointment to have them explanted.
I left Optimax and just burst into tears. When I got home I called Optimax and asked if it was a definite no to having the RLE procedure done before 50, and he said I would have to have a chat with a surgeon and that his receptionist could arrange that. I also asked again how much it cost and was told £3000. I then asked is that per eye, and he said yes, and when I said there was no way I could afford that he said that if I went ahead then he could speak to head office and ask them for a discount.
I feel like my life has been turned upside down and had I been made aware of this possibility occurring I would not have gone ahead with this procedure.
Would I recommend Optimax? NEVER!
Optimax ruined my life and have done nothing to try and rectify it other than try and get more money out of me.
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admin: I have your phone number and will call you tomorrow