Miss Francesca Harman

Professional statement

Ms Francessa Harman is a highly experienced consultant ophthalmologist specialising in cataract surgery and ocular surface and corneal disorders. With over twenty years as an ophthalmologist, she has a wealth of general experience and is known for her careful attention to detail and friendly approach.
 
She is a consultant at Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Trust and an honorary consultant at Western Eye Hospital, Imperial Healthcare NHS Trust. Having qualified from Leeds University with Distinction in Surgery, Ms Harman gained experience in neurosurgery and ITU before entering ophthalmic training on the North Thames registrar rotation based at Moorfields Eye Hospital, becoming a Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in 2010.
 
She completed a glaucoma fellowship at the Western Eye Hospital, then a corneal, refractive and cataract fellowship at the prestigious Queen Victoria Hospital Oculoplastic Unit in East Grinstead, a highly specialised plastic surgery unit developed from the WW2 burns unit.
 
Ms Harman’s areas of expertise include general and urgent ophthalmology, cataract surgery and treatment of conditions such as corneal ulcers, conjunctivitis, recurrent corneal abrasions, blepharitis, dry eye, ocular allergies, keratoconus, corneal dystrophies, ocular hypertension and chronic glaucoma.
 
Additionally, she is experienced in managing urgent eye problems such as the acute red eye, flashing lights and floaters, posterior vitreous detachment, retinal tears, uveitis and acute angle closure glaucoma.
 
She is the cataract lead at Hillingdon, known for a meticulous approach to surgery with a complication rate below the national average (National Ophthalmology Database) and is often referred complex cases to manage by her colleagues. She has extensive experience in using standard and specialist intraocular lenses, including toric lenses for astigmatism, EDOF (extended depth of focus) and trifocal IOLs. She is careful in individually assessing each patient for their suitability for the range of premium IOL options, with a full discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of each.
 
Research interests include spectacle independence after cataract surgery, being lead investigator on one of the first large RCTs (randomised controlled trial) comparing a multifocal IOL with an accommodative and monofocal IOL. She is also interested in dry eye and contributed to NICE guidelines on osmolarity testing for dry eye diagnosis. She has presented her research, and been an invited speaker, both nationally and internationally.
 
Ms Harman has trained many ophthalmic surgeons over the years and is college tutor and educational supervisor for a generation of North Thames trainees. She regularly teaches on the RCOphth microsurgical skills course.