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VisuMax smile is the most technologically advanced form of laser eye surgery available in the world of medicine and eye care. An abbreviation of ‘small incision lenticule extraction’ SMILE is the latest stage in the evolution of femtosecond lasers. Indeed, the treatment boasts an unparalleled level of success across the globe, despite the fact that it is a recent development. Using only one laser, this revolutionary treatment offers solutions to a variety of eye conditions, removing the patient’s dependency on glasses or corrective lenses.

Cathedral Eye Clinic are the first and only facility on the island of Ireland to offer Visumax’s innovative, highly-advanced SMILE laser eye surgery. The revolutionary technology offers patients vision surgery with an unrivalled level of accuracy and the briefest of recovery times, meaning that professional athletes, amateur sportsmen and everyone in-between can get back to their sport without delay.

Cathedral Eye Clinic has worked tirelessly to assemble an extensive team of locally-based Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeons (with combined experience of over 200 years).

Professor Jonathan Moore biography: 

Professor Johnny Moore is a highly respected Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon and Clinical Director of Cathedral Eye Clinic, specialising in ocular surface reconstruction, laser refractive surgery, cataract and other intra-ocular eye surgery and has personally completed approximately 25,000 treatments.

Johnny completed a medical degree from Queens University Belfast (QUB), trained in ophthalmology in the Department of Ophthalmology, Belfast before gaining a fellowship in Flinders hospital South Australia and then a PhD in Ophthalmology from QUB after spending a year in a research fellowship position in Harvard Medical School, Boston under the tutelage of Professor Tony Adamis and Professor Dimitri Azar. 

Since 2007 Johnny has been in a consultant ophthalmology position in the Mater Hospital, Belfast Trust, where he has developed and ran the anterior segment service, introducing and developing new technical procedures such as DSAEK procedures, INTACs, Crosslinking, topography guided laser treatments to manage irregular corneal astigmatism and opacities, novel pterygium operative techniques, mechanisms to manage more accurately IOL power predictions after corneal refractive treatments and more recently the use of fingertip blood to manage chronic non healing corneal ulcers.

In addition to performing surgery, Johnny was involved in teaching, training and helping to run an online PGDip/MSc Cataract and Refractive Surgery course through the University of Ulster. This course is designed to train surgeons, optometrists, laser technicians and others involved in this area from around the world in the intricacies of laser and refractive cataract surgery. Johnny has also developed an online surgical training video website designed to be an online resource for researchers, students and industrialists interested in the fields of cataract surgery.  The aim of this website is to create a high level of teaching and training in cataract surgery freely with particular emphasis on high level teaching to anyone in 3rd world countries.

Johnny and the Clinic also has a strong commitment to evidence based research to improve patient care and The Cathedral Eye Research Foundation has sponsored numerous research activities over the years including sponsorship of Dr Victoria McGilligan’s secondment to colleagues in Harvard Medical School Boston

Johnny himself has also been actively involved in research at the University of Ulster in the development of novel genetic tools designed to manage various corneal and ocular surface pathologies. He is a Visiting professor at Tainjin Medical University Eye Hospital, Tianjin, China.  Johnny sits on various boards and panels including the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, where he sets examination papers, and is a medical examiner on a yearly basis. Currently, Johnny is an active reviewer for many different international ophthalmic journals.

Significant publications have been achieved due to a result of the research efforts of Johnny and collaborators.

In March 2019 Prof Moore presented on a number of specialist topics at the 26th BSRS Annual Scientific Congress in The Belfry at the end of March. The British Society for Refractive Surgery (BSRS) is a specialist forum for Ophthalmologists, Optometrists and others involved in all forms of refractive eye surgery. The Society enables Specialists to exchange scientific information allowing members to keep abreast of developments.

In December 2018, Prof Moore was honoured to be presented with his Visiting Professorship at Tianjin Medical University by Prof. Li Xiaorong, Director of the University, Eye Hospital, the School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Tianjin Medical University Eye Institute. To mark the occasion, Prof. Moore provided a customary lecture on Intraocular Lens Technology and was presented with a beautiful, personalised gift by Prof. Xiaorong and his colleagues … overall, a truly honourable experience for our Clinical lead.

In June 2018, Cathedral Eye Clinic welcomed a Chinese delegation led by Professor Shuxin Wang, the Vice President of Tianjin University and Director of the Medical Robot Joint Research Centre, to discuss the highly innovative topic of the use of robotics in eye surgery. Over the previous number of months, Professor Moore, Clinical Director, had been keenly discussing future advancements with Dr Yan Jin, Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) at the Centre for Intelligent and Autonomous Manufacturing Systems School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at Queen’s University, Belfast. The visit allowed Professor Moore the opportunity to explore the possibilities and to contribute to medical futures in the ophthalmology sector.

Prof Moore is also heavily and actively involved in working with charities such as Khmer Sight Foundation in Cambodia and the Christian Blind Mission in Zimbabwe.

Mr Mandal biography: 

Over 3000 eye procedures performed and taken care of over 8,000 patients in consultation clinics.

Mr Mandal, MBChB FEBO FRCOphth PGDip CertLRS, is a highly experienced ophthalmic surgeon specialising in refractive lens exchange, cornea and cataract surgery. He gained his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree at the University of Birmingham during which time he carried out an undergraduate research elective at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miami, USA. He then went on to complete a seven year residency at the London School of Ophthalmology. In 2014, Mr Mandal gained the Royal College of Ophthalmologists Refraction Certificate and in 2016 he became a Fellow of European Board of Ophthalmology and a Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists. In 2023, Mr Mandal obtained the Certificate of Laser Refractive Surgery from the Royal College.

He also holds a postgraduate diploma in cataract and refractive surgery. During his career, Mr Mandal has gained a wealth of experience in hospitals such as Queens Hospital Essex, where he was a Senior House Officer Ophthalmologist, and at the Western Eye Hospital in London. He became a Specialist Registrar Ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. He then completed two fellowships in Cornea and Cataract Surgery at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. In 2019 Mr Mandal completed a Refractive Surgery Fellowship on Harley Street in London.

After carrying out over 1000 LASIK and PRK surgeries and 1000 refractive lens exchange surgeries as a private refractive surgeon he went onto complete a fourth fellowship in complex cornea and cataract surgery at Vancouver General Hospital at the University of British Columbia. He also has specialist licence to practice in Canada. His training and experience sits well with the procedures he offers patients at Cathedral Eye Clinic.

Mr Mandal has experience in training and supervising junior surgeons.

In addition, he has worked for the Khmer Sight Foundation, serving on three missions to Cambodia, where he was part of a team of international doctors working with local optometrists, medical students and junior Ophthalmologists in poor communities there. The team taught local doctors and nurses, and performed challenging eye surgery in the hospital in Phnom Penh.

Mr Mandal has co-authored a number of peer reviewed journal articles relating to ocular health and has also made several presentations on ophthalmology to his peers at international events, including the European Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons Congress and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Annual Scientific Meetings and the Canadian Ophthalmology Society

Mr Stephen Stewart biography:

Mr Stephen Stewart, MBBS MA PgDipCRS CertLRS FRCOphth, is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon specialising in cataract, refractive and complex anterior segment surgery. He graduated from the University of Cambridge and University College London Medical Schools with distinction. During his time in UCL, he was awarded the Allen Goldsmith Prize in Ophthalmology and also received the TC Yu Bequest Award to support his medical elective to the Department of Ophthalmology in the University of Auckland. 

He completed his ophthalmology specialty training in the Northern Ireland Deanery, before undertaking a fellowship in cataract and refractive surgery in Belfast with Professor Johnny Moore. This was followed by a fellowship in cataract, implant and complex anterior segment surgery under the supervision of Dr Tun Kuan Yeo in Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore.   

Stephen became a Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in 2019. He earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Cataract and Refractive Surgery through the University of Ulster in 2018 and was awarded the Royal College of Ophthalmologists’ prestigious Certificate in Laser Refractive Surgery in 2021.    

Through organising and delivering regional and international surgical skills courses relating to techniques for cataract and anterior segment surgery, Stephen has consistently demonstrated his commitment to advancing surgical proficiency in his field. Additionally, he actively contributes to the Royal College of Ophthalmologists’ National Ophthalmology Database Audit as a member of the Cataract Advisory Group. 

With a keen interest in research, Stephen’s primary focus is on the outcomes and safety of cataract and refractive surgery. He has published his work in peer-reviewed journals and presented widely at international conferences. He is currently conducting research into the use of machine learning to improve outcomes of astigmatism correction at the time of cataract surgery, in collaboration with Cathedral Eye Clinic and the Centre for Public Health in Queen’s University Belfast.  

Stephen has also taken the opportunity to trav to Cambodia to work with Khmer Sight Foundation and provide cataract surgery for patients in a resource-limited setting.

Mr Wing Chan biography:

With more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Chan has been practising in Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital since 1995.

After having spent a year in Sydney Eye Hospital, he then took up his consultancy post in 2005. Mr Chan has been consulting in Cathedral Eye Clinic for the past 10 years. As well as his significant experience in vitreoretinal, cataract and lens replacement surgery, he has published a wide range of papers on topics such as: diabetic retinopathy in pregnancy; age-related macular degeneration; serious ocular and adnexal injuries; YAG posterior capsulotomy and the management of retinal tear.

Mr. Chan has delivered many presentations across the world on these and other topics and continues to teach alongside his current auditing, clinical and lab research projects.