"Charles was the most professional ophtamologist I have ever met, his service was clearly above and beyond what I was used to with other specialists I had met in the past"

Remy S

"Charles provides excellent care and expert advice, always using the latest technology to ensure best practice. His staff are always pleasant and helpful."

Mr Freddie M.

I have been introduced to Ortho-K six years ago and have never looked back. Having an active lifestyle, as well as a job that required a lot of computer work, soft lenses only worked as a solution for a short while, resulting in my eyes being very dry and uncomfortable. Having tried Ortho-K has changed my life - not only it is an amazing feeling to be free of glasses or lenses throughout the day, but my eyesight has also stabilissed. Dealing with Charles and the girls working for City Eye Opticians is always a pleasure and their attitude is very personal, in fact every time I come back now for my regular check ups I feel like coming to visit family! Ortho-K and City Eye Opticians is a real find! I highly recommend to anyone who wants to find freedom in their daily activities and feel free from discomfort of glasses or lenses - once you try Ortho-K you will never look back!

"Just spoken to Furqan and he is seriously impressed with the service he received yesterday."

Jean, London

Ortho-K Testimonial by Mr N Taylor (London, UK, 2010)

I have always longed for freedom from my glasses equally from a social, lifestyle and working point of view.  Ortho-K lenses have by far exceeded the performance of any other regular contact lens, gas permeable and soft lenses alike. Read more...

Charles is an excellent optician, providing a personalised, efficient and expert service.

Charles has been my optician for many years. I am very pleased with his detailed check-ups, his professional and personal approach. He follows latest technology and information in his area. His eye control equipment is always latest technology. I trust his knowledge. I can strongly recommend his eye checkups.

Charles has looked after my eyes for several years. He combines current expertise with a delightful clinical manner. I trust him implicitly. The service is always on time. His staff are equally delighful.

Charles is an excellent optometrist, having a wide knowledge of the area, keeping abreast of current developments and using excellent equipment. His sourcing of products is wide-ranging, with items such as drops and contact lenses that may well not be offered by his peers. Follow-up and service are also strong, and I have referred friends and family to him.

Charles – I just wanted to let you know how very pleased I am 6 month on from taking up Ortho K overnight eye correction lens. 5 years ago I discovered that I had become short-sighted, since that time I have struggled with glasses – hate them; soft contact lens - OK but really dried up my eyes and was really thinking that the only option was surgery, which I was concerned over since I felt I would need correction again as I get older.
Ortho K has just taken away all these issues and since I don’t even have to wear them every night, the whole arrangement for me is perfect.

Nick Watson
Vice President Enterprise UK & Ireland
Cisco Systems

Dear Charles

It was a pleasure to meet you too and I am very happy with the lenses you provided me.
I will get back to you when I need new ones.

Best wishes

Elpie
Project Assistant
Museum of London

I’ve worn glasses every day since the age of 11, a total of 27 years. My prescription is -2.75, which means that I’m a perfect candidate for Ortho K. I had an initial, very thorough eye examination with Charles Babumba, which took just over an hour and included the regular sight and glaucoma tests. Charles then performed a series of further tests to measure the shape of my eye (this determines the extent of my short-sightedness). This contour map was then used to make my individual contact lenses, He also checked under my eyelids (ugh!) and after checking inside my eyes, took a Polaroid picture of each eyeball to check the health of my eye. I really felt that no stone was left unturned and had complete faith that the procedure was right for me. About a week later, I returned to Charles’s office and tried on my new lenses. Unfortunately one of the lenses wasn’t strong enough for me, but in a couple of days I received a replacement one. You have to have the lenses on every night. From the beginning, I found them really easy to wear and fell asleep almost immediately. I had no trouble inserting them, but needed a bit of practice in taking them out – after the first night I had to travel to Charles’s clinic so he could take them out for me! When he took them out, the result was amazing – I could see immediately! It was a very odd sensation to be able to see properly without wearing glasses – I had to keep touching my face to check whether I was wearing them or not. It’s now been seven weeks since my first appointment and my vision’s still good. I’m experiencing a bit of glare at the moment, but this gets less and less each day. The effect of the lenses is amazing and to be able to see without any glasses is a miracle. The treatment took a few weeks to work on me, but some people take less time. My advice is to be patient and stick with it – the benefits far outweigh the settling in period. I’m a convert!
Karen Buglass
Now Magazine

I have been seeing Charles Babumba for quite some time now – ten years or so and he has always been extremely professional and conscientious as well as being a thoroughly nice guy. He makes the whole experience friendly and easy. I first heard about OrthoK from a newspaper article and it sounded exactly what needed and when I found out that Charles is one of the leading exponents I was delighted.
I am shortsighted (-1.5 in both eyes) and so need to wear contacts or glasses in order to enjoy decent vision. Glasses were not always convenient and lenses, even soft dailies, became uncomfortable especially in the evenings as I have extremely dry eyes as a result of rheumatoid arthritis. It got to the stage where I would rather not use anything – except for driving etc – but did mean I was squinting a lot.
I did look into laser surgery but didn’t really like the idea of the procedure and because of my arthritis was turned down by various providers. OrthoK was my saving grace. I won’t go into the details as you can have it explained in more detail on Charles Website but I will say it is brilliant. Right from day one the effect was dramatic as soon as I took the lenses out I was able to enjoy clear focused vision which lasted all through the day. I have been using them now for about two months and have now progressed to the stage where I wear the lenses for one night and the effect lasts for three full days before I need to put them in again. How cool is that. It is such a simple process and this was made particularly clear on my recent holiday as I was able to sunbathe and swim and snorkel and see without having to put lenses in and take the out as I used to.
Charles was excellent, explaining it all to me and the whole process took about half an hour to map my eyes and gather the information to allow him to make the lenses which I picked up a week later. It really is that simple and I cannot recommend both the procedure and Charles himself highly enough. If you are thinking of an alternative to glasses or lenses you have to call him.
Richard Collier
(London)

"Having worn only glasses for over 20 years, I was reluctant to try vision-correction lenses. However, in the first week of use I was pleasantly surprised by the quick improvement in my sight.

After 6 months, I find that I can enjoy 2 to 3 days of good vision from using the Ortho K lenses, so I don't even have to wear them daily. They are comfortable and convenient, and fit in well with my busy daily routine. I would highly recommend them to anyone considering such a move."

D K
KBC Bank

‘Duncan Perry, a 33-year old sales manager from Fulham, west London, has been an Ortho K guinea pig for four months. Though only minimally short-sighted, without correction he squints and is very tired by the end of the day. “I’d rather not wear anything, but I didn’t fancy laser surgery,” he says. “My optometrist recommended I try Ortho K, which cost about the same as my ordinary lenses. They are harder than normal lenses and at first were more uncomfortable to put in and take out. You have to use eye drops to lubricate your eyes. But I’ve got used to it and, of course you’re asleep while they’re in, so there’s no prolonged discomfort.”’
Guardian Health Section

'If you are a short-sighted sportsman or woman, work in a dusty workplace or suffer from dry eyes, wearing glasses or contact lenses during the day may not be an option. The Ortho K system – contact lenses that correct short-sightedness while you sleep – could offer a solution. Wearing the tailor-made gas-permeable lenses overnight reshapes the cornea (the dome shaped window covering the front of the eye) to its correct position, giving the wearer 20/20 vision upon waking. The sight correction generally lasts for the entire day, and sometimes longer: some wearers find they may only need to wear the lenses every other night. Swimmers, rejoice: you can wear them in the pool, too. Although the lenses don’t cure short sight, some studies have indicated that using them may slow down the progression of myopia. The technology has been around since the 1960s, but has only recently become affordable.
Optometrist Charles Babumba, of City Eyes in the City of London, is prescribing Ortho K lenses to many of his patients, including his 13-year-old daughter, and monitoring the results. “The lenses are not appropriate for everybody,” he says. “They are not suitable for people with diabetes, high blood pressure or very high prescriptions (over -6), or astigmatism. They only work when the wearer is asleep and must be worn for at least six hours, so some people’s lifestyles might rule them out.”
Guardian Health Section

Hi Charles
 
Many thanks for the findings.
 
Thank you also for the time you spent with me. I appreciated your
opinion/advice on my lenses and general eye care.
 
I hope one day I will be able to try these night lenses and will definitely
let you know if my driving situation changes.
 
Please pass on my best to the family.
 
Lena

Hi Charles

I have been raving about you and Ortho K to my Deputy Editor, she cant
believe it!.
She is -4.50 and -4.75 would you be able to help her ? Best

 Karen

Charles,

Marvellous exam from consummate gentleman.

Thanks.

Mary K (Dublin)

Ortho K lenses

These lenses have transformed my life. I no longer have to worry about dry eyes which I always experienced with normal contact lenses - even those designed for dry eyes! I am rid of glasses and my eyes feel much healthier than ever before. The freedom the lenses have given me and the professional and attentive care Dr Charles has given me, makes me one very, very happy customer. I would thoroughly recommend giving it a go.

Teresa