Dr Peter Ring, Leading New Zealand Eye Surgeon, Eye Institute

Dr Ring’s two specialties are laser and cataract surgery, which complement each other to provide the BEST VISION correction solution for you. His expertise has developed over many years of practice, making him a highly sought after eye surgeon. Regarded as the one of the best in his field, Dr Ring’s highest priorities are always: safety, high patient care and achieving excellent results for each patient.

Dr Ring’s practice has grown as laser and cataract surgery in New Zealand has changed over the years. As one of the first surgeons to introduce laser refractive surgery to the country, he remains at the forefront of the latest international advancements in laser vision correction treatments and has been an examiner for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists. His father, Dr Calvin Ring, was a leading Ophthalmologist and considered a pioneer in cataract surgery. Dr Ring continues this family passion for eye care by practicing all the latest technological developments in the cataract refractive field (he pioneered posterior chamber intraocular lenses for cataract surgery) and has continued research in both specialties.

Dr Ring also specialises in oculoplastic surgery. While training in London he spent many hours with Richard Collin who is considered the world wide doyen of this field.

The cornerstone of Dr Ring’s practice is a commitment to provide each patient with the most appropriate treatment, whether people are seeking laser vision correction surgery (iLASIK), total spectacle independence with a lens implant (ReSTOR) or cataract surgery.

Patients are often presented with a myriad of confusing choices which can seem daunting. The choices they make must be the best for them in the long term. That is why Dr Ring and his team believe in carefully informing their patients of all the options and coming up with a tailor made solution. This solution takes into account as to whether they are short or long sighted, their age, the health of their eyes and what their job requirements are.

Dr Ring’s focus on patient care and broad expertise leads patients of all ages to come to see him, from the young to the young-at-heart, to restore their vision to what they had once enjoyed. Before patients come into the Eye Institute we send them a comprehensive information pack including a DVD. When you come in to see us, your eyes are assessed to meet all of the required safety measures and protocols, all the options for surgery are discussed with you and the best treatment options are selected.

Dr Ring has performed laser and cataract surgery on fellow Ophthalmologists, other respected professionals in the medical industry, as well as a number of well-known New Zealand personalities.

ReSTOR Intraocular Lenses: Eliminating The Need For Glasses Or Contacts

Clear vision from near to far in both eyes
Retain binocular 3D vision
Avoid cataract surgery in the future
(click in this box to read more or hide)

If you are long sighted and have difficulty reading and seeing distant objects, or have cataracts, this surgery may be the perfect option for you. Dr Ring is the leading surgeon in Australasia in the specialised field of ReSTOR Multifocal Intraocular lenses, the latest advancement to restore near and far vision in both eyes for those over late 40s. The success of this procedure has seen him mark his 500th ReSTOR lens placement.

Click to read more about Dr Ring’s 500th ReSTOR (pdf news article).

Patients in their late forties and older, who have iLASIK surgery (see below for more information on this) will still need reading glasses. Alternatively, they can have a multifocal ReSTOR lens implant put in by Dr Ring. As the procedure is similar to cataract surgery, you will free yourself from glasses and having ReSTOR lenses means you won’t need a cataract operation in the future.

Unlike other procedures that work by having one eye short sighted and the other longsighted to create what is known as monovision or blended vision, what is truly remarkable about the ReSTOR procedure is its ability to keep your important binocular single 3D vision. After ReSTOR, you can read a book, work on the computer, drive and play your favourite sport without worrying about which glasses to wear for each activity.

Patients who have undergone ReSTOR with Dr Ring are always delighted with their newfound visual independence.

Read Jennifer's first hand ReSTOR experience with Dr Ring

Download our pdf of facts and information on ReSTOR here.

To book an appointment with Dr Ring to discuss ReSTOR please call
0800 BEST VISION (0800 237 884), email or fill out our quick and easy online enquiry form here.

Severely longsighted, Jennifer Aston wore glasses from the age of two. “My parents used to tie them to me because I was always pulling them off,” she says. “I was known as ‘four eyes’ at school.” At 16 she was determined to have contact lenses even though her optometrist at the time informed her that because her eyesight was so poor, the contacts would have to be thick and could cause damage to her eyes.

She was given hard contact lenses, which were the best lenses for her at the time. In the years she wore them from age 16 to 61, she scratched her cornea on many occasions and could not wear contacts for some time while reverting to glasses. To add insult to injury, she had to recuperate from every corneal scratch in a dark room for the first 24 hours. Because she and her husband are avid travellers, it also used to be a mission to take contacts everywhere she went, packing all the equipment in lots of little plastic bags.

On her first visit to Dr Ring, he recommended ReSTOR intraocular lenses, where Jennifer’s natural lens would be taken out and an artificial one put in, removing her lifelong dependence on contacts. Her new ReSTOR lenses have made the crucial difference in many aspects of her life. Jennifer cannot help but extol the life-changing nature of her surgery. “Even now, I wake up in the morning and I think, wow, I can see!”

“It was lovely to deal with Dr Ring and Jasha’s team,” says Jennifer. “You feel as though you are not going to be rushed into anything. It’s not simply about performing the surgery: they will only do it if it is right for the particular patient. They were very professional.

“I had absolutely terrible eyesight – if they can fix my eyes, they can fix almost anyone’s.”

iLASIK: Blade Free Laser Vision Correction

iLASIK – treats nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism. It may also be a preferable option for those who are looking to achieve distance vision and happy to wear reading glasses or who are not suitable candidates for ReSTOR lenses. (click in this box to read more or hide)

After Dr Ring has completed the procedure, as an iLASIK patient you can expect 20/20 vision. The potential for iLASIK to improve your lifestyle is vast.

Read Aran's first hand iLASIK experience with Dr Ring

To book an appointment with Dr Ring to discuss iLASIK please call
0800 BEST VISION (0800 237 884), email or fill out our quick and easy online enquiry form here.

As an active person, Aran Blackmore never noticed any problems with his eyesight in his youth. Vision only became a problem for Aran in his twenties. “When I started being unable to see things my friends and family could see easily, I knew I had a problem. That’s when it struck me hard that I needed to take drastic action about my eyesight,” he says. When Aran went to an optometrist to get his deteriorating eyesight checked out, he discovered that he was short-sighted and had astigmatism in both eyes.

Aran had initially thought that laser eye surgery was not suitable for him, but later took a chance to see for himself after hearing about iLASIK. “I thought I may as well give them a call – and discovered that I was eligible to have iLASIK, as it treats near and farsightedness, including astigmatism, so I jumped at the chance to book an appointment that very day.”

For Aran, the timing of the surgery was crucial. “I was getting married in a few weeks and then going on a dream honeymoon we were both looking forward to. It was important that the surgery wasn’t going to affect that,” he says. “We were off to the Cook Islands, so naturally I wanted to be able to swim, snorkel and enjoy the sunshine.” Happily for Aran, everything fitted in because of the fast turnaround times for iLASIK surgery.

The procedure lasted only twenty minutes for Aran. When he returned the next day, he says he “was left with what was basically 20/20 vision”. “I was absolutely blown away. I could drive home myself right then!” he adds. “Only two checkups post-honeymoon and the entire iLASIK procedure was complete.”

“Dr Ring and Jasha were true professionals and made the whole experience painless and absolutely fuss-free and they were very accommodating,” says Aran. “From a financial point of view, getting iLASIK done at a younger age was a smart move. Think of it as a capital outlay initially. But after that initial investment, I don’t have to worry about buying contacts for the next 30, 40, or 50 years.”

Cataract Surgery – Seeing young again

Cataract surgery is one of the safest and most successful surgical procedures performed today in any branch of medicine. Dr Ring and his team will lead you carefully through the consultation and you will be advised if you are more suited to a Monofocal Intraocular lens, premium Toric Intraocular lens for astigmatism or a premium ReSTOR Multifocal Intraocular lens for distance and near vision. (click in this box to read more or hide)

During the surgery you will be looked after for by our highly experienced and caring theatre team. See the Cataract Surgery section for more information.

Read Trish's first hand Cataract Surgery experience with Dr Ring

To book an appointment with Dr Ring to discuss cataract procedures please call 0800 BEST VISION (0800 237 884), email or fill out our quick and easy online enquiry form here.

Born severely short-sighted and with astigmatism in both eyes, Trish Wallace had worn glasses since she was three years old, with her right eye being particularly ‘myopic’. Because she hated wearing clunky, “milk-bottle” glasses, she moved to hard contact lenses which also helped with her astigmatism and wore them for 30 years.

While Trish was working in her office job in the past couple of years, her eyesight began to deteriorate significantly so she had to have her lens prescription increased over time. “Work started to become problem. I noticed that while using the computer I really strained to see things; graphs in particular seemed ‘foggy’,” says Trish. “It was really a disadvantage with presentations and business events.”

“I live in the country on a side road that merges into a main road and was having difficulty judging how far away cars were while waiting to turn into this main road. My concern over safety finally broke the camel’s back,” adds Trish. “So when I discovered I had cataracts, it was a shock. I certainly didn’t think of myself as being old at only 60!”

“On my first visit to Dr Ring and his team, I was quite excited to find out cataract operations were really a simple procedure. Even better than that, they advised me that they could put in toric lenses so it was as if I was going to have cataract and laser eye surgery in the same operation,” says Trish. “The team that took care of me were true professionals and yet genuinely down-to-earth, nice people. Dr Ring’s approach is that the patient should be in full control of the procedure and have all the options.”

Trish admits that the procedure has made a huge difference to her overall quality of life.

“I’ve never had this kind of vision. I had always had trouble seeing distance and now I feel like I can see through hills,” she says.

Oculoplastic Surgery

Oculoplastic surgery involves the removal of skin tumours of the eyelid and repositioning both upper and lower eyelids as well as the management of watery eyes through eyelid or tearduct surgery. (click in this box to read more or hide)

Pterygiums are vascular scars at the inner corner of the eye that cause irritation and can grow across the cornea to affect the vision. Nowadays the surgical results are excellent.
Extra skin in the upper lids gives rise to heaviness and tiredness and may interfere with patient’s field of vision. This can be remedied with the removal of tissue from the upper lid – a technique known as blepharoplasty. If certain criteria are met this surgery may be covered by medical insurance.

To book an appointment with Dr Ring to discuss oculoplastic surgery please call 0800 BEST VISION (0800 237 884), email or fill out our quick and easy online enquiry form here.

Jasha Morarji - Cataract and refractive technician and vision correction educator
Jasha has worked with Dr Ring for 30 years and her skill and knowledge have been acknowledged by becoming a foundation member of the Eye Institute team.

Other practices often have larger teams, which may mean seeing various team members from consultation to consultation. Patients under Dr Ring and Jasha’s care only see them and so are guaranteed personalised and consistent care.

"Jasha’s technical knowledge, teaching and communication skills and personal attributes make her an integral part of my practice,” says Dr Ring. “She has the ability to pass on her extensive knowledge to a patient so they are always reliably informed and understand the different treatment options, the likely outcomes and any potential risks associated. Her passion for the field of ophthalmology has been to the practice’s benefit as she keeps up with the latest technology in addition to attending national and international meetings and presenting papers.”

Having had a ReSTOR intra-ocular lens implant herself, Jasha can readily appreciate the needs and anxieties of patients surrounding the decision to undertake surgery and this has led to many referrals being passed on from former patients.

Reception and Administration Support Team
Dr Ring’s two other team members are Sandra Dobbs and Aaron Sheldrake, who job share the support role for Dr Ring and Jasha. They can help you with your initial appointments, surgery bookings and discuss payment options. You will find them friendly, efficient and always willing to help you.

In addition to his practice at Eye Institute, Dr Peter Ring each year has presented at various prestigious international and national events.

He has published over 27 papers in peer reviewed journals and contributed to numerous educational courses for Nurses, Orthoptists, General Practitioners, medical students, Optometrists and trainee ophthalmologists.

In January 2009 Dr Ring and Jasha presented two major research papers at the Asia ARVO scientific conference Hyderabad, India: “Visual Outcomes and Higher Order Aberration Differences between Spherical and Aspheric ReSTOR multifocal IOLs” and “Femtosecond versus microkeratome LASIK”, the former was given the “Best Scientific Paper” award for the session.

Dr Ring carried out his post-graduate training in Ophthalmology in London at the prestigious institutions of: Guy’s Hospital, St Thomas’ Hospital and Moorfield’s Eye Hospital.

Dr Ring is married to Alison. They met when she was a ward sister at Moorfields Eye Hospital where he was training. Together they have two grown children: Charlotte and David, and are a close-knit family.

Apart from his family, Dr Ring’s other passions vary, from rugby, tennisFormula One racing to cooking, reading and relaxing at the beach. He has also clocked up more than one hundred hours flying with a PPL license and is a Designated Medical Examiner for Civil Aviation.

Dr Ring also holds the sporting distinctions of an Otago University Blue and a New Zealand University Blue in fencing.

The Ring Team

Dr Ring and senior members of the theatre team after operating on his own technician, Jasha, the Vision Correction Educator. Jasha had a ReSTOR lens implant.

Dr Ring performing a Cataract Operation

Dr Ring using the new IFS technology for laser vision correction

The 500th ReSTOR patient on their second day after the operation

Happy 500th patient on the second day after ReSTOR Intraocular Lens Implant

Dr Ring and Jasha with prize for Best Scientific Paper Award

Dr Ring and Jasha with prize for best 'Best Scientific Paper Award'

Jasha attended the ReSTOR meeting at the San Francisco townhall 2009

Following the Asia-ARVO conference the Rings and McGhees accompanied by Jasha, undertook an exotic journey through Southern India stopping at numerous palaces, temples and ancient cities from Bangalore to Goa while being fed and pampered on the "Golden Chariot" train.

Dr Peter Ring and his wife Alison Ring with Jasha Morarji at the railway station in India.The team were welcomed at this Heritage site by the local community.