Eye surgeon allowed to carry on

Mrs Fearnley has said she still has blurred vision and sees double

An eye surgeon who left a writer and illustrator with blurred vision when a procedure went wrong has been told he can continue to practise.

But Dr Haralabos Eleftheriadis's behaviour has been judged "inappropriate" and "unprofessional" by the General Medical Council (GMC).

The surgeon, who qualified in Greece in 1989, was charged with misconduct over his treatment of Jan Fearnley.

He operated on her at the Ultralase Clinic, in Guildford, Surrey, in 2005.

The GMC imposed a period of conditional registration on Friday instead of removing Dr Eleftheriadis from the medical register or suspending him from the profession.

'Highly competent'

The hearing heard the surgeon's actions were "an aberration, completely out of character".

The panel concluded: "It is clear from this evidence that you retain the confidence and support of your professional colleagues and that you are considered to be a highly competent surgeon."

Dr Eleftheriadis presented a series of undertakings to the GMC.

He promised to attend and observe Lasik surgery, similar to that performed on Ms Fearnley, by a member of the Medical Advisory Committee of Ultralase or a consultant ophthalmologist.

He will give the GMC a report summarising the procedures performed and the learning issues identified.

And he agreed to be supervised while performing 20 Lasik procedures over the next three months.

Dr Eleftheriadis currently works as a locum staff grade ophthalmologist in Southend, Essex.