A/Prof Michael Lawless’ laser focus

An internationally-recognised expert in vision correction surgery, A/Prof Michael Lawless has always stayed at the cutting edge of laser eye surgery technology.

In 1995, he was the first New South Wales surgeon to perform the first generation of LASIK laser eye surgery. In March last year he achieved another ‘first’ – becoming the first surgeon in Australia and New Zealand to perform SMILE® pro laser eye surgery using the Zeiss VISUMAX® 800.

Since then, A/Prof Lawless has performed SMILE pro surgery on 300 eyes using the new device, finding that it provides a faster, more comfortable patient experience than the original technique.

Given his long-standing interest in vision correction surgery, A/Prof Lawless has decided to focus his time on his laser eye surgery practices at Vision Eye Institute Chatswood and Vision Eye Institute Hurstville from 1 June 2023.

In part, this decision was made to meet the demand from patients who wish to have A/Prof Lawless perform their refractive surgery. Additionally, A/Prof Lawless wanted to create more time for his involvement in and commitment to the advancement of laser eye surgery – specifically SMILE – through research, teaching and as a guest lecturer both nationally and internationally.

Due to focusing his time on his laser clinics, from 1 June A/Prof Lawless will not be accepting new patients for cataract surgery. However, his highly experienced colleagues at Vision Eye Institute Chatswood and Vision Eye Institute Hurstville are available for new patient consultations.

With A/Prof Lawless’ shift in focus to his laser eye surgery clinics, you can expect a shorter wait time for laser suitability consultations and subsequent surgery dates.