In some cases, it’s led to a United States-style increase in legal actions against doctors. But Barsam sees this as a positive thing.
They come into the room with 20 publications they've read
He says: “I think a litigious environment is good. If there are problems with medical care, patients should have the right to pursue compensation.
“Patient expectations are higher. They come into the room with 20 publications that they’ve read. Doctors can’t hide behind ignorance or lack of knowledge, there’s no excuse at all for not being informed as to the latest treatment.”
Just as well that this eye surgeon, 37, is a leader in his field. Right now Barsam is contributing to the parliamentary review of private healthcare, at the invitation of Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. He is documenting the best practices in eye surgery for the review, which will be published in December.
He advises companies developing medical technology — including “game-changing” Israeli technology. He lectures industry leaders around the world on the top techniques in the field. And he’s published in the most reputable industry journals.
Yet, Barsam — the first British ophthalmologist to carry out laser cataract surgery — is most comfortable treating patients. To date, he’s treated more than 100,000 patients including actors, politicians and sportsmen. They haven’t come to him through a PR agency, and so he can’t reveal who they are.
“When doctors use celebrities to publicise themselves, by definition they have paid money to do so,” he says.
Over a coffee, Barsam reveals what it takes to be a leader in his field. He’s openly competitive, obsessive about safety and won’t go to the gym 12 hours before surgery, because it affects the fine motor skills.
“There aren’t many people that can do what I do,” he says. “I see it a little bit as a calling.”
Barsam performs surgery up to 30 times a week. His record is 15 in a day.
He says: “For any kind of complex surgery, I’ll do things sports people will do. It’s called pre-visualisation. You envisage that you’re doing the task before you operate to ensure you do it seamlessly.
“I put myself in the zone every time. It’s unusual, it’s a mind-set, it’s my personality.”
His drive to be the best stems from a family experience: “When I was 16, my brother was very ill. He had cancer. Some elements of his medical care, which included the initial diagnostics, could have been made quicker, better. When this happened, I said to myself, ‘as a doctor I’m going to make sure I’m going to excel so none of my patients suffer because I’m not doing my job well enough’.
“Every time I operate on someone, the first thing on my mind is ‘don’t harm them’. You should always have a certain level of fear no matter how experienced or capable you are.”
Unable to publicise his high-profile patients, this surgeon markets himself on Twitter and through his website.
“In today’s day and age, if you don’t have a website you don’t exist,” he says. People who don’t tweet or have a website are, in his opinion, hiding behind a “lack of credentials, confidence or awareness.
“In order to actually be an expert you need to be publishing original articles, presenting internationally, innovating, working with companies to try to develop the best technology for them.
“My patients want to know who I am, not just as a surgeon, but as a person. It breaks down some barriers.”
The former UCS pupil has never been busier. Readjusting my own glasses, I suggest that the demand for laser eye surgery might be down to living in a society obsessed with looks. He is quick to dispute this.
“People assume its vanity if they’re not burdened by the need for glasses or contact lenses, or if they have no problems with their glasses or contact lenses,” he argues, saying it’s a matter of convenience. “A lot of patients tell me they would rather not get surgery because they like the way they look in glasses.
Barsam, who has worn glasses since he was a teenager, had laser eye surgery in 2010.
“I couldn’t do micro-surgery because I was getting glare reflection.”
For now, he’s considering minimising his NHS work to make time for his projects and family.
A father-of-four boys, he met his wife Sarah at the Cambridge University J-Soc. Now living in Hampstead Garden Suburb, north-west London, the observant Finchley Synagogue member still makes time to travel abroad and research new technology.
As far as boycotts go, Barsam, who spent some time at Tel Aviv University, hasn’t seen any in his field, despite stepped-up anti-Israel campaigns in the wake of Operation Protective Edge.
“I’ve been at meetings where you have someone speaking from Tehran, followed by someone from Tel Aviv, followed by Saudi Arabia. All political differences are put aside.
“I would like to think that as a community, we would like to embrace the best technology for our patients, irrespective of where it’s coming from.”
