OCL Vision to open a third clinic as eye treatments see record demand | City & Business | Finance
The specialist surgeon-owned business, which has two clinics in London and Hertfordshire, will open a second site in the capital early this year and look for further investment to accelerate growth.
Founded in 2018 as a pioneering joint operation by consultants Ali Mearza, Allon Barsam and Romesh Angunawela and their private practices, its 30 consultants now see more than 4,000 patients annually.
Offering a wide range of procedures including retinal therapy for diabetes and glaucoma laser surgery, the company’s current £10 million turnover is estimated to grow 40 per cent by 2025.
NHS backlogs for cataract surgery, the UK’s most frequently performed operation, have driven much of the demand with OCL treating 57 per cent more patients in 2022 compared to the previous year. Operations for both eyes can be completed in one session.
Laser eye procedures are also up 50 per cent and its minimally invasive Schwind Atos laser is the first in the UK. “We have been keen to focus investment into eye surgery technology and are at the forefront of ophthalmic treatment methods,” says chief executive Parish Patel.
“The NHS continues to be under significant pressure and the new shared care model OCL is developing will allow us to work with opticians at community level to treat people as soon as issues arise requiring intervention.”
For future investment, the company will be looking for strategic partners such as a trade buyer or private equity. “We believe we have a scalable model,” says Patel.
