A WOMAN whose eyesight deteriorated after under going laser eye surgery is backing calls for tougher regulation of the industry.

At present, the only requirement for laser eye surgeons is that they are registered as doctors, with no additional requirement for specialist qualifications.

The London Eye Hospital believes the lack of regulation is leading to a rise in people receiving inaccurate information or poor care.

Caroline Maguire, 64, from Langdon Hills, had to undergo surgery twice after her vision deteriorated following the first procedure .

She said: “It is easy to find information about places offering laser surgery, but so difficult to compare like for like, as each piece of information is on the doctor or surgeon’s own website.

“After the second procedure failed, I was crushed.

“I saved for lens implants and went to a reputable clinic which had also been endorsed by a celebrity.

“But after travelling all the way there, was told that I wasn’t a suitable candidate due to previous laser surgery – something they could have told me on the phone when I gave them my medical history.

“It was incredibly disappointing.”

Caroline, who works as a financial trust consultant, went on to be fitted with light adjustable lens implants at the London Eye Hospital.

The implants are suitable for patients whose corneas have been weakened by laser eye surgery, as hers had.

She said: “Eye surgery is a minefield, as I found out. To anyone considering it, I would suggest to research as much as you can.”

The London Eye Hospital has called for a compulsory register of practitioners to be set up .

Hospital medical director Bobby Qureshi said: “We strongly believe it is time for this industry to be taken to task.

“With those who trained abroad, it’s even more difficult to establish levels of expertise in specific treatments.

“This makes a central register all the more important, as it gives patients the tools to check exactly in whose hands they are putting their vision.”