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Home > Archive > Lasik Eyes Surgery > June 2005 > Ultralase up for sale: People reluctant to gamble with their vision
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Ultralase up for sale: People reluctant to gamble with their vision
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| Sandy - LASIKdisaster.com - LASIKmemorial.com 2005-06-04, 8:54 am |
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The Times (London)
May 9, 2005, Monday
HEADLINE: Ultralase eye surgery chain up for sale at =A335m
BYLINE: Tom Bawden
BODY:
ULTRALASE, the laser eye-surgery chain whose clients include Sir Clive
Woodward, the British Lions rugby coach, has been put up for sale for
an estimated =A335 million, The Times has learnt.
Britain's biggest laser surgery chain, which is controlled by Granville
Baird, the private equity firm, has appointed Livingstone Guarantee to
advise it on the sale.
Ultralase, which has also treated Sharron Davies, the television
presenter and Olympic swimming silver medalist, and Jonathan Edwards,
the Olympic triple jump gold medalist, has 12 surgeries in cities such
as Birmingham and Leeds.
The company, which has about 15 per cent of the UK industry by sales,
targets the top end of the market, typically charging =A3995 per eye,
compared with about =A3550 at its largest rivals.
Christopher Neave, Ultralase chief executive, opened his first surgery
in Clatterbridge Hospital, at Bebington, Merseyside, in 1990. He would
receive a multimillion-pound windfall from a sale of Ultralase.
The company expanded quickly in its early years, but was hit by an
industry downturn after a Which? report gave warning that people having
such surgery were "gambling with their sight".
Lasik is the most popular type of treatment, where a flap about one
third of the thickness of the cornea is cut, the bed underneath
reshaped using the laser and the flap is replaced.
Concerns about the potential long-term consequences of laser surgery
were partly responsible for a decision by Boots last September to scrap
its laser eye surgery clinics.
Paul Saper, chief executive of the LCS International healthcare agency,
said: "The market was badly hit about three years ago by the Which?
report. But in the last 18 months the laser equipment has improved
dramatically and confidence is returning to the procedure."
However, analysts said that many people were still reluctant to undergo
the surgery because of a lack of definitive research on its potential
repercussions.
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| Ragnar 2005-06-04, 11:52 am |
| Sandy loves LASIK so much, she decided to take the gamble 10 times.
On 3 Jun 2005 22:38:27 -0700, "Sandy - LASIKdisaster.com -
LASIKmemorial.com" <sandy@savvysneaks.com> wrote:
>
>The Times (London)
>
>May 9, 2005, Monday
>HEADLINE: Ultralase eye surgery chain up for sale at £35m
>
>BYLINE: Tom Bawden
>
>BODY:
>ULTRALASE, the laser eye-surgery chain whose clients include Sir Clive
>Woodward, the British Lions rugby coach, has been put up for sale for
>an estimated £35 million, The Times has learnt.
>
>Britain's biggest laser surgery chain, which is controlled by Granville
>Baird, the private equity firm, has appointed Livingstone Guarantee to
>advise it on the sale.
>
>Ultralase, which has also treated Sharron Davies, the television
>presenter and Olympic swimming silver medalist, and Jonathan Edwards,
>the Olympic triple jump gold medalist, has 12 surgeries in cities such
>as Birmingham and Leeds.
>
>The company, which has about 15 per cent of the UK industry by sales,
>targets the top end of the market, typically charging £995 per eye,
>compared with about £550 at its largest rivals.
>
>Christopher Neave, Ultralase chief executive, opened his first surgery
>in Clatterbridge Hospital, at Bebington, Merseyside, in 1990. He would
>receive a multimillion-pound windfall from a sale of Ultralase.
>
>The company expanded quickly in its early years, but was hit by an
>industry downturn after a Which? report gave warning that people having
>such surgery were "gambling with their sight".
>
>Lasik is the most popular type of treatment, where a flap about one
>third of the thickness of the cornea is cut, the bed underneath
>reshaped using the laser and the flap is replaced.
>
>Concerns about the potential long-term consequences of laser surgery
>were partly responsible for a decision by Boots last September to scrap
>its laser eye surgery clinics.
>
>Paul Saper, chief executive of the LCS International healthcare agency,
>said: "The market was badly hit about three years ago by the Which?
>report. But in the last 18 months the laser equipment has improved
>dramatically and confidence is returning to the procedure."
>
>However, analysts said that many people were still reluctant to undergo
>the surgery because of a lack of definitive research on its potential
>repercussions.
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