Dr Bobby Qureshi, the surgeon who performed a 'miracle' eye implant operation on EastEnders actress June Brown, faces being struck off by the General Medical Council (GMC) following an 18-month investigation. The consultant ophthalmologist has been summoned to appear before a disciplinary panel in Manchester facing allegations of dishonesty and misconduct relating to the treatment of 24 patients at the London Eye Hospital in Harley Street.
The procedure, which cost up to £25,000, was heavily advertised as a treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). However, an investigation by this newspaper revealed that scores of patients, some in their 70s and 80s, alleged they were left with little or no improvement to their eyesight after paying for the implants. The Advertising Standards Authority banned an advert for the procedure in March 2016, ruling that claims it could improve vision for both wet and dry AMD were unsubstantiated.
Publicly available documents show that Mr Qureshi will also face accusations over a claim published in paid-for national newspaper advertisements that he knew was unsubstantiated. The allegations will be disclosed in full on the first day of the tribunal, which is set to begin on January 14 and is expected to run until the end of March. A GMC official described the case as 'unusually long', partly because of the high number of patients involved.
The panel will decide whether Mr Qureshi is fit to continue practising as a doctor in Britain. It could dismiss the allegations, give him a warning, suspend him from the register, or strike him off. None of the patients involved in the case has yet been named, but it is understood that many have previously reported their concerns to this newspaper. A dossier of evidence was handed to the GMC by the charity The Macular Society in June 2017.
Cathy Yelf, chief executive of The Macular Society, said: 'We have previously raised concerns with the GMC and are pleased an investigation is under way.' Mr Qureshi, who founded the London Eye Hospital, has invested heavily in promoting the lenses he helped to develop, known as iolAMD and EyeMax Mono. The implants are inserted during a ten-minute procedure and have been reported to help improve the vision of many hundreds of patients, but some have complained of the clinic's hard-sell tactics targeting elderly and vulnerable patients.
