PRESS & MEDIA

Will Mellor Ironically, having recently appeared in the dramatisation of the Post Office scandal, actor Will Mellor is actively supporting and promoting an even bigger scandal - that of the unregulated refractive surgery industry 👀

NB: At this point I should mention that my first draft was kinder to Will, the word ‘unwittingly’ in place of ‘actively’, until I checked Instagram and discovered that he's advertising his availability for endorsements!

With details of his lens exchange operations last month published in at least a dozen publications (and via Will’s own social media accounts), both Will and OCL Vision are having a field day with the publicity this has generated - still milking it according to a quick Google search!

I couldn’t care less what Will endorses, as long as it's not eye surgery, that he knows nothing about, including the many thousands of people whose eyes and lives have been ruined by ALL types of unregulated refractive surgery!

He should consider this lesson: in 2020, Paul Dance hanged himself after devastating results of #RLE at #Optegra, having trusted Ruth Langsford's paid promotion of the company.

From one newspaper article: "Prior to the surgery, Will revealed his eyesight issues were getting him down... 'wherever I was, if I didn't have my glasses with me, I'd have to have my wife read things to me. It’s life-changing, the amount of things I probably missed and not being able to see properly over the years that now I don’t miss anymore.'"

Kerap!

He wasn't blind, or close to it, and no worse off than millions of people who wear glasses.

And way too soon to consider his surgery a success, when at only 1 day post op, Will irresponsibly advertised it as ‘amazing', even though complaining of flashing lights:
"I have this flashing at the side of my eyes when I go into a bright room or even now if I turn my head. Hopefully that’s normal."
“Considering I had the operation yesterday, it’s amazing. I just wanted to keep you posted, just in case you’re thinking of having it done.”
www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/mell...rgery-after-31897335

Had he done his research, Will would have discovered that at the age of 47 he was too young for RLE, at greater risk of retinal detachment, with flashing lights a warning sign. There could be other reasons for this too, but by operating on him, surgeon Romesh Angulawela, a member of The Royal College of Ophthalmologists, was ignoring and breaching their (unenforceable) guidelines: www.rcophth.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/202...ient-Information.pdf

Unfortunately, using RCOphth guidance (written by refractive surgeons!) the #notfitforpurpose General Medical Council (GMC) recklessly clump refractive eye surgery in with cosmetic procedures:
‘'Questions about our cosmetic interventions guidance’
...any intervention, procedure, or treatment carried out with the primary objective of changing an aspect of a patient’s physical appearance. This includes surgical and non-surgical procedures, both invasive and non-invasive.’
www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/le...interventions---faqs

I fail to see the similarity, and repeatedly point out that laser or lens eye surgery is NOT cosmetic, and should NEVER be referred to as such; refractive surgery changes the way we see, while cosmetic surgery changes the way we are seen, and taking off a pair of glasses cannot by any stretch of the imagination be compared to a facelift or nose job!

However, according to the GMC's foolish logic, #cataractsurgery must also be a cosmetic procedure.

And while I doubt that he’ll be so vocal about any post op problems he may encounter, be it in the next few weeks or a year from now, details of Will’s surgery, as told in numerous publications and media outlets, will have resulted in a waiting list of patients wanting the same surgery, with the same surgeon, all relying on the uninformed and irresponsible advertising from a TV actor who has been paid to spread the word. Therefore, blame for any damage they may suffer must be shared by Will, who should stick to what he knows!

NB: RLE/refractive lens exchange is the same procedure as cataract surgery, but extracting perfectly healthy natural lenses.

Fao Will Mellor:
'Incidence and Risk Factors for Retinal Detachment and Retinal Tear after Cataract Surgery’

'Although cataract surgery is safe and effective in improving vision and visual functioning, postsurgical complications may occur.'

'RRD [Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment] occurs in approximately 1 in 500 cataract surgeries in patients aged > 40 years within 1 year of surgery... Additional risk factors for RRD included male gender, younger age, hypermature cataract, PVD, and high myopia.'

'Similarly, the 1-year incidence of RD after cataract surgery was also higher for men than women.’

'ORs revealed an increased risk of RRD among males and younger ages compared with patients aged > 70 years'

© 2023 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Ophthalmology: the full pdf in comments below 👇

Though encouraging to find this article in the Daily Mirror, it prompts a critical question: why are so many thousands of casualties damaged by the corrupt and unregulated UK  #refractivesurgery industry being ignored 👀

www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/woman-l...-pain-after-32022809

This includes tragic cases like #PaulDance, who hanged himself following the devastating outcome from #lensexchange surgery at Optegra Eye Health Care in 2020, unable to go on, after a consultation with a second surgeon contradicted the recommendation of his operating surgeon to explant the lenses. 

Yet despite leaving detailed suicide notes for his family, there's been no invitation for his widow to share her story on morning TV. 

Similarly, Greg Brady's ongoing nightmare, confined to a darkened room for the last few years, serves as a stark warning against #laservisioncorrection, and his story surely merits a spot on morning TV?

My Beautiful Eyes Foundation private Facebook group has hundreds of members, each of whom I have personally spoken with, many of whom echo the exact same problems as Erin Orchard. Some have endured even more extreme consequences, such as blindness or enucleation (removal of eye).

More than 20 of these people spoke at #BadEyeDay lobby at the House of Commons last April, yet the press weren’t interested!

Sadly it seems the media is comfortable publishing stories from abroad (eg #JessicaStarr’s suicide in 2018), that sidestep the pressing issue of insufficient (non existent) UK government regulation.

I therefore refer you back to my 24 December post. 

This is the first of a series of posts about EuroEyes , and owner Jørn Slot Jørgensen 's insidious entry into the UK market.



Like most people, I'm tired of Covid still being used as a universal excuse for a company's shortcomings, but more disgusted by the hashtag#refractivesurgery industry having exploited the pandemic as a marketing tool.

I am even more appalled at BBC News for airing what was a blatant advertisement for EuroEyes in late 2023

And while complaints will be made to the BBC et al, the real shocker here is that the publicity was organised by David Condon , Media Officer at the Cabinet Office - a UK government department ffs!
 

Readers familiar with my work will be aware of my ongoing struggle to gain press and media attention, as they consistently avoid publicising the scandal of the unregulated refractive surgery industry, and the many thousands of victims left in its wake.

Yet with the blessing of the government, this overseas company managed to obtain publicity from a corporation that appears to have forgotten its mission, as outlined in the Charter:
'The BBC’s mission is set out in the Charter:
 
publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5803/lds...t/ldcomm/44/4405.htm

To be continued...
10 January 2024
 

2/2
The shocking scale of the UK government's secret files on critics, coupled with my personal account of media manipulation and corruption within the refractive surgery industry, highlights the potential threats to free speech, transparency, and accountability in our country. And as I continue to battle for urgent government attention to this scandal, my story emphasises the desperate need for thorough investigations into these concerning practices. 

My posts only touch the surface, of the corruption, and opposition I’ve faced over >13 years, from the government and other public bodies we are expected to trust to protect us.

Having previously presented my evidence in person at Dr Prashant Jindal's FtP hearing before the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service on 27 May 2022, the General Medical Council’s justification for now excluding my testimony is a blatant lie, reiterated in emails from various members of their legal team. 

I intend to report my concerns about this, and other issues, to the Professional Standards Authority Healthcare Regulators, who have yet to prove they can be trusted, as even the Care Quality Commission are refusing to take action unless someone else does, while the General Optical Council is waiting for the FtP outcome!

All details regarding my now discarded evidence will be published after the FtP hearing next year, assuming the MPTS ever reschedule it. The delay, now inexplicably almost 4 months overdue, follows the questionable ‘postponement’ of the first relisted hearing last September.*

The postponement, allegedly at Dr. Jindal's request, conveniently occurred after the GMC made an application to exclude me from attending the substantive hearing simply as a member of the public, the preliminary hearing for the application listed 11-13 September.  

But when the MPTS refused to permit me legal representation, by agreeing to the postponement, despite strong opposition from the GMC, they evaded the likelihood of a Judicial Review. (Read 17/19 September posts for details)

However, with the GMC’s emailed response to my lawyer, it appears that we may face another round of legal battles if the MPTS again deny me legal representation, which will in turn again delay the FtP hearing.

 

The panel’s reasons for recusal at the first hearing in 2022 were beyond ludicrous, and, as lawyers told me, had a jury presented these in a court of law, the judge would have severely reprimanded them - after falling off the bench laughing!

Brief details from Medscape online: 'One incident involved her using expletive laden language in reference to the case in a toilet of the building where the tribunal was taking place. 
In another, there was an encounter between Ms Rodoy and a tribunal member at a Manchester hotel when she was heard to tell a waitress she was "waiting for an important judgment" which would appear in the press. 
Later, Ms Rodoy had stood near the tribunal member [EIGHT METRES AWAY!] as she worked in a downstairs area of the [SPACIOUS] hotel. 
A third incident involved a tribunal member who received a message from LinkedIn that stated he had been mentioned in a post from Sasha Rodoy.’ 
www.medscape.co.uk/viewarticle/tribunal-...accused-2022a100236c .

Annex B & C fully detail the MPTS panel’s absurd reasons for their recusal, previously posted 22 September 2022: www.opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk/ind...13000&start=10#21603

The real reasons are far more sinister (of which the GMC/mpts fully aware!), and have nothing to do with me.  (Google ‘#TwistedFncks’ for clues.)

Meanwhile, can anyone tell me why I scare the GMC so much that they feel compelled to exclude my relevant and factual evidence from Jindal’s FtP hearing?

And what makes them so desperate to want to exclude me from attending the FtP hearing even as a member of the public, when I have done absolutely nothing to warrant this?

* After the recusal in September 2022, dates for the relisted hearing were provided within 2-3 weeks, for September 2023. As we fast approach 2024, the possibility therefore arises that Dr Jindal's FtP hearing might not be relisted until 2025. An inexplicable delay, unless a deliberate strategy to wear down complainant witnesses in the hope that they will grow weary and withdraw.

The absence of transparency in this process is entirely unacceptable.

I invite you to consider this; senior Tory government ministers, and family members, hold major shares in Big Pharma, with the UK government having more control over public bodies like the GMC than they would have you believe. And while  BBC News is advertised as being: ‘a statutory corporation, independent from direct government intervention’, have I mentioned the fairies living at the end of my garden 👀

After digesting this information, is there anyone who would now call me paranoid?

1/2
 
‘Dossiers were compiled by 15 departments after scouring social media activity to vet people invited to speak at official events’
www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/nov/18...-on-critics-revealed

Call me paranoid, but a vocal critic of the UK government for over a decade, I suspect that I may be among those targeted by these secret files 👀

Accusing the government of colluding with Big Pharma, it’s possible that my outspoken views have led to inclusion in these covert dossiers. This raises questions about the government's use of such information and the potential consequences for individuals who express dissenting opinions.

My narrative expands beyond government surveillance, shedding light on the scandalous and unregulated refractive surgery industry, infested with malpractice.

Yet despite persistent efforts to bring attention to the industry's corrupt practices, scheduled interviews with major media outlets over the last ten years have not gone ahead. Including The One Show and This Morning, both dropping me at the last minute, and a pre recorded interview with Rip Off Britain omitted from the broadcast, the producer claiming lack of space! While countless press interviews, including the Sunday Express and Telegraph, never saw the light of day.

Tragically, in June 2020, Paul Dance hanged himself after debilitating lens exchange surgery at #Optegra. Representing his partner, Dee Philips, at the inquest in December 2020 (in the midst of the pandemic) technical issues prevented remote access to the proceedings, so that a number of interested journalists were unable to report on it.  The coroner expressed surprise and claimed it was the first time it had happened! 
www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-90355...apology-surgeon.html

I truly believed this scandal would at long last be publicised, because Paul’s suicide was surely HUGE news for the media, with letters to his family detailing the reason for his actions, and Dee fully prepared to engage.

Far from it!  

Immediately after the inquest, scheduled for West Midlands BBC News at 6.30pm, standing next to Dee, but a metre apart due to social distancing, we were both interviewed by BBC reporter Michele Paduano (who squeezed two stories out of Paul's suicide entirely thanks to my help!) 

Both Dee and I said we were calling for the UK government to introduce strict regulations for the refractive eye surgery industry, and to ensure potential patients were fully aware of all risks.  

En route back to my hotel, I received a call from a local MBEF member who’d watched the news, advising me that there was no mention of the lack of regulation in Dee’s heavily edited piece, or her support for MBEFoundation, and not even one sentence from my carefully worded piece.  And - because of our distancing, it was easy to keep me totally out of the frame, so that Sasha Rodoy/MBEFoundation were invisible to the story.

In shock I called Michele, who totally ignored my calls and messages; until much later that evening.  Not even having the guts to speak to me in person he texted his apologies, that he’d ‘f*cked up’, because some of what I'd said was defamatory, and there wasn’t enough left to include in the piece.
 

Fao Michele Paduano - BULLSH*T!  

I said nothing remotely defamatory, and when I checked my words with two other journalists, they agreed.

The lack of coverage and manipulation by the media raises questions about the transparency and accountability of those responsible for disseminating information to the public. 

To be continued…

Please see previous posts about this story here: www.opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk/ind...opic&catid=5&id=1509

Another I'm A Celebrity contestant suffering problems after refractive lens exchange surgery!


 


After reading lots of press interviews online discussing Frankie Dettori’s light sensitivity post surgery, I then looked at a few clips featuring him in the TV jungle, and he’s certainly doing a lot of squinting, shading his 👀 with either a green sunshade or his hat.

With his surgery only a few months ago, struggling with photophobia, it is indisputably VERY irresponsible behaviour to risk further damage by not wearing sunglasses in this situation!

I don’t know where Frankie had RLE surgery, but the operation is the same, and the problems the same - no matter where!

I suppose it’s too much to hope for that he and Fred Sirieix might chat on camera about their problems after lens exchange surgery  

Of course this has nothing to with the ever increasing number of damaged patients, many successfully suing both the company and majority of its surgeons - and following recent information provided by Optical Express insiders, I suspect things are going to get rapidly worse with David Moulsdale at the helm 👀



‘Scottish eyecare company Optical Express has reported a decline in turnover and profits which it blamed on the result of headwinds from the cost-of-living crisis.

In its latest set of annual accounts filed with Companies House, Optical Express parent company Lorena Investments posted revenues of £146.5 million during the year to December 2022, down from £157.4m previously. Pre-tax profits fell to £39.8m versus £52.1m.

Owned by David Moulsdale, who set up the business in 1991, Glasgow-based Optical Express said its financial performance was hampered by the escalation in operating costs linked to higher electricity, supplier and wage bills. Reduced confidence and disposable income among consumers meant fewer patients proceeded with laser eye surgery, which drove a hefty increase in revenues and profits in the previous year.’
www.heraldscotland.com/news/23821339.opt...er-revenues-profits/

Con or cure!

What a perfect platform this would have been for #mbefoundation and my work, to help expose the unregulated #refractivesurgery scandal!

In fact, I was invited to feature in this programme last year



On 19 Oct 2022, at 12:20, Laura wrote:

'Hi Sasha,

Great chatting with you yesterday! Spoke with the team this morning and like me, they’re keen to feature the story...

We’re putting together the info for the commissioner and I wanted to confirm if you knew anyone else who would like to join you in speaking out on the topic? If you want to pass my email on to them or if they would like me to reach out to them, I’m more than happy to do so. I looked up Paul Dance- what an awful thing to have happened, I know you worked to support his widow- would she be willing to discuss what happened?

Do let me know your thoughts?

Best wishes,
Laura'

Series producer Karen Donnelly ( www.thetalentmanager.com/talent/1206 ) called to discuss in more detail, 100% eager to include me and MBEF, adamant that this scandal should be publicised, proposing to film interviews within the next two weeks.

A few days later, another call from Karen, saying that her producer had been warned by someone in the Rip Off Britain team (sharing the same BBC office) that Optical Express were litigious, and they didn’t want to risk it!*

But this was about the entire #refractivesurgery industry, not just OE; the latter impotent bullies who won't risk suing anyone nowadays, because they would lose - you cannot defend the indefensible, especially when its backed up with hard evidence!

Regular readers will remember that they eventually dropped their multimillion claim against Associated Newspapers re Daily Mail article in 2017.
'And unfortunately, since Optical Express issued their (approx) £21.5 million claim against Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL) re Daily Mail's cover of Daniel Boffey’s story, every time a journalist has contacted me keen to write a story, they’ve come back to me a few days later with excuses for suddenly losing interest.'
www.facebook.com/OERML/posts/no-more-ms-...to-/1363485330425033

However, Karen assured me that she felt very strongly that this story should be publicised, and she intended to fight for it.

I never heard from her again.

*ROB had contacted me in 2017, similarly expressing their intention to cover this scandal.

I provided them with all the information and case studies they wanted, travelling to BBC Manchester studios in August 2017, when they filmed a lengthy interview with me.

But shortly before broadcast, the programme’s Creative Director, Rob Unsworth, told me there wasn’t enough time to include anything from my interview!

This information from the ROB team to Karen therefore proved what I had known all along, that Rob was lying!

In parts, the ROB piece was more like a promo for the industry, interviews with some of the most devastating case studies not featured: "At very short notice I contacted a number of OE’s damaged patients willing to be interviewed on camera, but they [ROB] pushed me for more ’shocking’ cases, operated on no earlier than 2016, telling me that otherwise the piece would be dropped."

Plenty of time was given to The Royal College of Ophthalmologists representatives in the piece, advertising the joys of unregulated refractive surgery!
www.facebook.com/OERML/photos/when-the-r...as-/1435161513257414

And as I said then, it takes 10-15 seconds max for me to say, ‘I am a patient advocate and I represent thousands of patients damaged by the unregulated refractive eye surgery industry, including myself, and I have worked with Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell since 2012 campaigning for government regulation!’

Full ROB story here: 'URGENT! 16 Aug 2017 15:25'
www.opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk/ind...media?start=70#13963

LED headlights on many new cars 'specifically designed not to dazzle other road users'! How new?
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1208328...-LED-headlights.html

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/13/olde...powerful-headlights/

'Elderly drivers are being forced off the road due to the increasing use of illegal ultra-powerful headlights that are affecting their ability to drive safely.

The College of Optometrists (CO) has told The Telegraph that its members are seeing an increase in the number of patients that are no longer driving at night due to the dazzle from LED lights.

It said these issues are particularly acute for those older drivers with eye conditions, such as cataracts, due to the impact bright lights have on people with those conditions.

Avoiding driving at night

Analysis from the RAC has found that 16 per cent of motorists avoided driving at night because of the intensity of headlights, with 25 per cent of drivers over 65 opting against night driving.

Rod Dennis, RAC spokesman, said: “Badly angled headlights might be something to do with it, but drivers tell us they also believe it’s the increasing number of cars on the roads fitted with piercingly bright LED headlights that’s to blame.”

LED headlights currently fall into two categories, those that are installed in new cars at the factory, but also LEDs that have been retrofitted to replace original halogen bulbs.

It is currently illegal to retrofit LED lights into a car being used on public roads, and there are no regulations around the intensity of these lights, or how they are installed, increasing the chances of drivers being dazzled.

‘Regulations not up with market’

Retailer Halfords estimates that there could be as many as 860,000 of these “aftersale” lights have been bought in the UK but believes some may have been purchased in the country but are being used overseas.

A Halfords spokesperson said: “The regulations have not caught up with the market, and as things stand these bulbs can only be fitted legally to off-road vehicles.

“We want to see the regulations updated, not just so that people can fit LED bulbs to road vehicles legally, but to make it easier for motorists to distinguish between compliant bulbs that don’t dazzle and bulbs that do not meet standards of quality and safety.”

However, Mr Dennis believes that while aftersale bulbs might be part of the problem, the sheer number of people complaining suggests that it might be all LEDs that are causing problems.

He added: “It’s this that needs testing – sadly at the moment there’s a distinct lack of recent scientific evidence that helps explain the root causes of the problem.”

Minimising glare

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said all headlights must comply with legislation that ensures they produce a pattern of light that minimises glare while maximising the distance drivers can see.

He added: “Headlights, and in particular their aim, are checked during the MOT and so long as an approved bulb is fitted, correct aim will minimise glare, which is ultimately a subjective issue affecting different people to greater or lesser extents.”

The dazzle, or what is clinically known as glare, is caused by the loss of contrast, which happens when light scatters within the eye, and gives drivers the impression a veil has been thrown over their vision.

Denise Voon, clinical adviser at the CO, said that glare for drivers does increase where there are multiple light sources, such as on a busy road, and if you have eye conditions, such as cataracts.

She said: “The majority of people over 60 have some level of cataracts, which results in your intraocular lens, which judges distance, getting more cloudy with age.

“If you make that slightly more foggy, you’ll get increased light scatter and increased glare and it will be just more difficult for drivers to see.”

However, it is not just elderly drivers affected, with a survey by the RAC finding that three in 10 drivers between 17 and 34 believing car lights are too bright.

Collisions from ‘dazzle’

Government collision data between 2012 and 2022, shows that on average 270 collisions each year had “dazzling headlights” given as a contributory factor; 56 casualties across the period were fatal.

Baroness Hayter, who has campaigned on the issue, said: “The CO and the RAC report numerous cases of headlight glare, any many drivers – like myself – are increasingly choosing not to drive at night because of the dazzle from these new, white and bright lights.

“The Government should act now rather than see people driven off the road or accidents happening.”

A DfT spokesperson said: “Safety on our roads is paramount. All headlights must adhere to strict technical standards and there are regulations in place to minimise the impact of LEDs.

“While data doesn’t link new lighting technology with specific road safety issues, our engineers raised these concerns at an international expert group in April, where it was agreed for new standards around headlamp aiming and levelling systems to further reduce glare.”'