Dr Serdal Sanak

My background

I studied medicine at the Université libre de Bruxelles, then trained in ophthalmology between the CHU de Liège and CHIREC. I hold the European Diploma in Ophthalmology, awarded by the European Board of Ophthalmology after an examination shared across member countries. The title is written FEBO.

Since then, refractive surgery and cataract surgery have made up most of my operating activity. I consult and operate within the CHIREC network in Brussels and Walloon Brabant.

Head of department

I head the ophthalmology department of four clinics in the CHIREC network: Europe Lambermont in Schaerbeek, the Parc Léopold medical centre in Ixelles, Edith Cavell in Uccle and the Basilique clinic in Ganshoren. The role covers the organisation of consultations and operating theatres, the recruitment of the department’s doctors and the coordination of the teams.

It also gives access to the full technical platform of the network, which matters when an eye calls for an examination or a piece of equipment that not every site holds.

Two fields rather than one

Correcting eyesight plays out on two distinct grounds, with different instruments and different gestures. I practise both, which lets me offer the technique that suits the eye rather than the one I happen to master.

Corneal laser reshapes the surface of the eye. It covers Femto-LASIK and PRK, used for common myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism when the cornea allows it.

Intraocular surgery works inside the eye. It covers the ICL implant for high myopia and for corneas that rule out laser, PRELEX for presbyopia, and cataract surgery.

The choice between them is made at the preoperative exam, on measurements: corneal thickness and regularity, degree of correction, state of the lens, tear quality.

For laser work I operate with two platforms: the Ziemer FEMTO LDV Z8, the femtosecond laser that cuts the Femto-LASIK flap, and the Alcon WaveLight EX500, the excimer laser that reshapes the cornea in both Femto-LASIK and PRK.

Surgical volume

I have carried out thousands of eye operations.

Consultation languages

I consult in French, Dutch, English, Turkish, Kurdish, Persian and Italian. Explaining a procedure, its limits and its risks calls for precision, and precision is the first thing lost when patient and doctor work in an approximate language.

The Parc Léopold site in Ixelles is a short walk from Luxembourg station and the European quarter.

Learned societies

I am a member of the ESCRS (European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons), the Belgian Ophthalmological Society, the French Society of Ophthalmology and SAFIR, the French association for implants and refractive surgery. These societies publish the guidance practice rests on, and their congresses are where the long-term results of each technique are discussed.

What happens at the first consultation

Two formats exist. The screening consultation is short, without dilation, and answers whether surgery is a realistic option in your case. The preoperative exam takes about an hour, includes pupil dilation, and leads to a decision.

In both cases I give an answer at the end of the consultation, including when that answer is no. Sometimes I suggest treating the eye surface for a few weeks first, or waiting for the correction to stabilise. Around four candidates in ten have dry eye before surgery, and treating it beforehand changes how comfortable recovery is.