Mr Gerard McGowan

Written by a patient at Crosshouse Hospital

Looking back on the past year, I realise how fortunate I have been, in having such a excellent surgeon ..... Dr McGowan has been amazing. A year ago, I was involved in a serious accident .... A bearing the size of a fist exploded under pressure, and smashed into my face ..... It was a high impact metal injury, lens damage, retina tear serious trauma plus haemorrhages and then later pressure in the eye rocketed ..... After various repairs, I eventually had an implant in arterial chamber and the iris reconstructed. At A&E the eye specialist was first class, and contacted Dr McGowan ...... My first thought was I am going abroad on holiday in a few days, can it be fixed before I go, or after I come back ..... I did not appreciate the seriousness of the damage, but quickly realised when Dr McGowan said that I could not fly, and that our priority was to save the eye and as much sight as possible ...... One year later, after a few surgeries, lots of appointments, I now fully appreciate how dedicated Dr McGowan is in ensuring his patients have the best possible care. After surgery to repair the damage to the eye, it was then a case of wait and see how much sight was saved and how the eye recovered .... Waiting to see what the eye pressure would do, was a concern, as the eye does not like trauma .... Unfortunately the eye pressure did go crazy, but thankfully another colleague was an expert in that field, and managed to bring it under control with some laser surgery .... My thanks to Dr Inglis also. Now, after the arterial/ lens implant , most of my sight has been saved, and apart from monitoring the pressure, I have few side effects after such a serious injury ..... Whilst doing the implant, Dr McGowan even managed to reconstruct the iris, this helped dramatically with the appearance of the eye ..... Now at first glance or with glasses on, my eye now looks as close to normal as possible. Years ago, I would have simply lost the eye, to think that it was repaired in three different areas, the amount of sight saved is amazing. I truly appreciate all the work Dr McGowan has done, and feel that his fantastic manner, and calm attitude helped me in dealing with the damage .... Thank you again, I really appreciate all that was done.

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Written by a patient at Abbey Carrick Glen Hospital

Being partially blind already and having a dense cataract on my seeing eye, this operation had to be a success. My first consultation with Mr McGowan went extremely well and he understood the ugency and how precious it was for me to have the correct outcome. I suffered a stroke in January this year and have comunication and mobility problems. Mr McGowan made me feel at ease when assessing my problems. I was seen on the Friday and my operation was scheduled for the following Tuesday, which was fantastic! My operation turned out to be a challenging one and I was in theatre longer than usual, but the outcome has been life changing and has helped me a huge deal with my stroke recovery as well as everyday life. I would highly recommend Mr McGowan as he is very professional, caring and compassionate.

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Written by a patient at Ayr Hospital

I had various eye problems before being referred to Mr McGowan a few months ago. He immediately put my mind at ease and explained what treatment was required. He made a phone call and I left the consultation with an appointment for surgery only two weeks later. On the day of surgery I was again taken through the procedure in a very professional and comforting manner. It as also evident that the whole team responded well to each other with a few laughs thrown in for good measure. The procedure went well, as did the recovery, with the timescales described by Mr McGowan being spot on. I now have an appointment for treatment on my other eye which was again arranged surprisingly quickly. All in all I've had excellent treatment carried out very quickly. Mr McGowan not only knows exactly what he is talking about but he also has a great "bedside manner". No concerns at all, great experience from start to finish.

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Written by a patient at Ayr Hospital

Towards the end of last year, I was referred to Ayr Hospital by my optician after I suggested that the slight double vision in my left eye was being caused by my new spectacles having been wrongly manufactured. I was subsequently examined by two consultants who concluded that the actual problem was something else, could be resolved by surgery, and passed me into the care of Mr McGowan. My consultation with Mr McGowan prior to surgery was informative, my queries answered in an understandable manner and the impending procedure was fully explained. On the day, my developing cataract was removed and the following vitrectomy procedure carried out in what seemed to me to be a slick and highly professional manner by Mr McGowan and his team...throughout the operation I was kept informed about what was being done and what to expect...that I had watched a similar operation on You Tube was a help!! I felt surprisingly relaxed, despite the fact that a number of sharp pointed objects were being jabbed into my eyeball! I honestly cannot fault the standard of care which I received on the day and over the following weeks. My second cataract was removed three months later in another faultless operation and now, after sixty years, I can see the world in full without spectacles! The NHS is currently much maligned, but in the light of my recent experience I have nothing but praise for the Ophthalmology team in Ayr Hospital.

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