Wake up and see clearly, without reaching for glasses or contacts

Bheema strongly believes that eye care should be individualised for each patient with clear communication in a simple understandable manner.

He has been a Specialist Eye Surgeon in Waikato since 2008. Special interests are Refractive laser & lens exchange surgeries, cataract surgery, Medical retina including age related macular degeneration & diabetic retinal diseases and general ophthalmology.

Bheema is a Fellow of Royal Colleges of Edinburgh (FRCS Ed) and a Fellow of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (FRANZCO).

Bheema has private clinics at Laser Eye Centre and Hamilton Eye Clinic. Bheema’s dedication to ophthalmology is matched only by his passion for life outside of medicine. He is deeply committed to his wife Sudha, a pathologist, and their adult son and daughter.

When asked what he enjoys most about his job, he says: “Giving patients the gift of sight and seeing the smile on their faces after a successful intervention.”

Michael has an uncompromised commitment to providing excellent patient centred care.

He completed his specialist training in New Zealand with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists. He then completed subspecialist fellowships in Glaucoma and Refractive surgery in the UK at West of England Eye Unit in Exeter, and Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.

Since returning in 2004, Michael joined, and then took over, the refractive practice that has become Laser Eye Centre and carries out a full range of laser and implant based refractive surgery. He is also a consultant at Waikato Hospital and Hamilton Eye Clinic where his work is focussed on cataract and specialist treatment of glaucoma.
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Head of the Ophthalmology Department at Waikato since 2022, he also has an honorary role as Senior Lecturer at University of Auckland Medical School and held several leadership roles in RANZCO.
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When asked what motivated him to pursue a career in this industry, his reply is: “Maintaining or restoring a person’s sight is such a rewarding profession. Ophthalmology is also a branch of medicine that is constantly changing as new technologies and pharmaceuticals are developed. Keeping up with the latest technologies and treatments keeps it very interesting.”

Ben grew up in the Waikato, attending Hamilton Boys’ High School before completing his medical degree at the University of Auckland.

He has undergone further fellowship training in the UK, with a year in Exeter at the West of England Eye Unit and a year as a Glaucoma Fellow in the Glaucoma Unit at the Bristol Eye Hospital.

Ben is a member of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons. His special interests are cataract & refractive surgery, glaucoma and general ophthalmology.

Ben has private clinics at Laser Eye Centre and Hamilton Eye Clinic.

When you ask Ben what he most enjoys about the profession, his reply is: “I enjoy the improvement in symptoms and quality of life from performing cataract surgery and preserving vision. Ophthalmology provides the best opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives.”

Malcolm has a subspecialty interest in Cornea and Anterior Segment as well as Refractive surgery including refractive lens exchange.

His undergraduate and postgraduate specialist training was done in Stellenbosch in Cape Town South Africa and fellowship training in the UK.

Malcolm has served in numerous leadership roles, including the Executive Committee of the SA Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons and he has many years of refractive experience with the Lasersight group in South Africa.

Malcolm has private clinics at Laser Eye Centre and Rotorua Eye Clinic covering the Lakes districts of Rotorua and Taupo.

When Malcolm is asked what motivated him to pursue a career in this industry, his reply is: “Ophthalmology is a wonderful part of medicine with close people contact and fast- paced technological advances facilitating technical and rewarding surgical procedures. Refractive surgery is one of the pinnacle of this aspect of medicine and provides people with wonderful options to optimise their vision and quality of life”.

Anton Frank graduated as an Optometrist in Austria in 1986, where he also gained a Diploma in Contact Lens Practice. After completing post graduate studies in Germany and the US, he has been awarded a Masters Degree in Clinical Optometry from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry USA in 1997.

He was the first Optometrist in continental Europe being awarded the European Diploma in Optometry. In 2006 he gained a Certificate in Ocular Pharmacology from the Department of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Auckland, New Zealand. He moved from Austria to (lovely) New Zealand in 2002 and joined Dr. Doug Cox in Feb. 2003, assisting with clinical assessments. He also works in private optometric practice in Hamilton.

I graduated as an Optometrist in Vienna, Austria in 1992, where I also gained a Diploma in Contact Lens Practice. I hold a BSC in Optometry from the Salus University, Philadelphia, USA. After completing my master’s postgraduate studies in 2008, I was awarded a Masters Degree in Clinical Optometry from the Danube University, Austria and the Salus University in Philadelphia,USA. I also gained a Graduate Certificate in ocular therapeutics from the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia.

Eye-care has always been my passion, having been 'born into' a family with a long tradition in Optometry. Actually my great grandfather Johann Svadlenak founded our business in Vienna, Austria in 1895. After his son and then my father I took over and successfully further expanded the Optometry business. In addition I held lectures in Optics at the Vienna Academy of Optometry and was a board member of the guild of health professions. I was involved in the professional education for Opticians and Audiometrists.

After falling in love with New Zealand while travelling here my family and I decided to move to Hamilton and join the Laser Eye Centre. My special interests are refractive Laser Vision Correction and a variety of other refractive treatments to free my patients from the need of glasses.

In my spare time I love to spend time on the water, take a tiki tour through this awesome country and have fun times with my family and friends.

I graduated as an Optometrist from the University of Auckland in 2012. I graduated with Honours and Therapeutic Endorsement meaning that I can prescribe ocular medications. In 2016 I also obtained my glaucoma accreditation which means I can prescribe ocular medication for the treatment of glaucoma allowing me to have worked part time at the Hamilton Eye Clinic, assisting Dr Merriman with his glaucoma and cataract clinics.

I joined the Laser Eye Centre team in 2015 after two years working in private practice in Tauranga and Hamilton.

I published an article in an optometry medical journal ‘Clinical and Experimental Optometry’ in January 2015 which was the Editor’s Choice and lead article of that issue. It was entitled “Vision in Children with Down Syndrome”. I have also given a lecture on this topic at the University of Auckland in 2012.

I enjoy the more specialised areas of optometry, such as laser vision correction and ocular disease. I really enjoy working alongside the ophthalmologists and the other optometrists to help improve people’s quality of life rather than just selling them another pair of glasses.

In my spare time I enjoy swimming and playing waterpolo, as well as spending time with family and friends.

Peter was born in Suva, Fiji and moved to Warkworth with his family, where he grew up on the coast.

He graduated from University of Auckland with Bachelor of Optometry in 1995.

Peter moved to Hamilton in the same year and joined the team at Rose Optometry, before becoming at partner in 1999. He worked with Paul Rose and gained extensive experience in fitting specialty contact lenses, particularly focusing on keratoconus.

In 2005 Peter gained his post-graduate qualification in Therapeutic Optometry, giving him the ability to prescribe ocular medications.

Peter has organised a number of optometric conferences around his beloved South Pacific including Fiji, Cook Islands and Samoa.

2023 saw Peter gain the CCLS Snow vision scholarship and he joined the team at SUNY University in New York for a month of study (and sight-seeing!).

Looking for a new venture, he joined the team at Laser Eye Centre in 2024.

He is a member of New Zealand Association of Optometrists and the Cornea and Contact Lens Society of New Zealand. In his spare time Peter enjoys time with his 2 children, relaxing at Cooks Beach and fishing for his dinner.