“The eye is precious, not only for the vision. It is the mirror of our whole body”. These are the words spoken by distinguished eye doctor, Dr. Nader Saffiedine who has been practising since 1989 but retains today as much passion for his chosen profession as he did when he first began. For the last four years, he has been practising from his extensive clinic in the heart of Playa de Las Americas. He deals with patients of all nationalities, including many British. Indeed Dr. Saffiedine is able to converse fluently in seven languages, including English, Spanish, German and Italian, which is an invaluable tool. Eye care is complicated so it helps tremendously that everyone under his care can understand what is going on. He applies the same ethos to costs, always explaining to the patient how much it will cost and providing a detailed breakdown of what to expect. “There are no surprises here,” he says. “I am fair and have never, ever had one refusal to pay.” Aspects of health care such as dental treatment, diet, exercise, cutting back on sugar etc are very much in the news on a regular basis but not so much eye care. Yet, as Dr. Saffiedine explains, eyes are vital organs and ones which can reflect your well-being as they are linked to many parts of the brain and are the only transparent part of the body where blood vessels can readily be seen and examined. In Europe, he says, people tend to be much more aware of eye care than in Britain. Europeans very much understand that from the age of 42, they should see an eye doctor every year and before you reach that, once every three years is recommended if you have vision defects or headaches. Today’s equipment is so sophisticated that ophthalmologists can detect the possible onset of , for example glaucoma lesions as much as eight years in advance. Meeting up with him in his surgery, I am very surprised to find something very different from what I expected. Dismiss any thoughts about clinical, white or oppressive. His clinic is large and spacious and every thought has gone into a relaxing and very pleasant atmosphere and decor, with comfy seating areas, subdued lighting and spaces to relax. It immediately puts you at your ease because when dealing with any issue relating to your eye, there is bound to be some nervous-ness. Dr. Saffiedine does everything to put you at your ease and you know you are in safe hands and that if there is a problem already there or brewing he will detect it, manage it positively with the best tools available for eye doctors in 2016. It is well worthwhile making a virtual tour of the clinic. You can find it on the website DRSAFFIEDINE.COM. It is impressive! I was surprised to hear that even if you need glasses, it is advisable to go to an eye doctor who has all the detailed knowledge to provide you with the correct and definitive prescription which you can then take to your optician. With today’s prevalence of diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataract etc., the eye can be much affected and badly so if not detected and treated soon enough. There are also occasions, if rarer, where more serious conditions can be spotted at their early, hence mostly treatable stages. Dr. Saffiedine’s clinic is also the place to go in case of emergency: if you are suffering from an eye complaint such as an injury or conjunctivitis. His professional activities at the clinic include the first consultation, basic ophthalmic clinical examinations, complementary clinical ophthalmic examinations, ophthalmic surgical treatments and ophthalmic laser treatments. Waiting time for an appointment is one to two weeks. There is always room for emergency cases to be seen. This is, of course, a private practice but the cost does not have to be prohibitive. The basic consultation is 78 euros, money very wisely spent for peace of mind or a life-changing intervention. On the NHS in the UK, the waiting time for an eye appointment, unless very urgent, is nine months and it is little different in Spain. Dr. Nader SAFFIEDINE is a physician licensed from the Université Catholique de Louvain. He followed the specialisation in ophthalmology at the Universitair Ziekenhuis van Antwerpen. As Eye Doctor, Dr SAFFIEDINE practiced since 1989 medical ophthalmology (refraction for optical defects, contact lenses, dry eye, glaucoma, macular degeneration, etc.), ophthalmic laser treatments (of the retina, lens capsule, trabeculum, iris and cornea) and ophthalmic surgery (cataract, glaucoma, pterygium, Chalazion, etc.) in a private practice in Brussels. In 1994, Dr SAFFIEDINE was a founding member and, later, Chairman of the EYE-TECH CENTER (EXCIMER laser centre specialized in corneal refractive surgery for myopia, astigmatism, hypermetropia and presbyopia where collaborated a dozen of Eye Doctors and Eye Surgeons, including three prominent university professors) in BRUSSELS. He founded OPHTHALMOLOGIE CHIRUGICALE S.P.R.L. in 1999. Dr SAFFIEDINE participated to humanitarian missions in Africa as Chief Eye Doctor and Eye Surgeon as part of the activities of OPHTALMO SANS FRONTIERES. Dr. SAFFIEDINE is as M.D. Eye Doctor member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology., of the SOCIETE BELGE D’OPHTALMOLOGIE, of the Belgisch oftalmologisch gezelschap, of the SOCIÉTÉ FRANÇAISE D’OPHTALMOLOGIE, of the SOCIEDAD ESPAÑOLA DE OFTALMOLOGÍA and of the SOCIEDAD CANARIA DE OFTALMOLOGÍA. As Dr. Saffiedine says, the eye is very much […]