Miss Zahra Ashena

Miss Zahra Ashena is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon specialising in corneal diseases, cataract surgery, and refractive procedures. She has over fifteen years of experience and extensive expertise in complex cataract surgeries, corneal pathologies, anterior segment reconstruction, and managing ocular surface diseases.

Miss Ashena provides care for a wide range of conditions, including complex cataracts, astigmatism, presbyopia, keratoconus, corneal infections, corneal dystrophies and opacities, dry eye, blepharitis, pterygium, allergic eye diseases, recurrent corneal erosions, and chalazion. Her surgical practice includes cataract removal with premium intraocular lenses, refractive lens exchange, YAG laser capsulotomy, corneal transplantation, corneal crosslinking, and a variety of procedures for corneal and external eye diseases.cataract surgery and refractive procedures.

Miss Ashena has performed over 3000 cataract surgeries, including lens-based procedures aimed at reducing dependence on spectacles, and more than 700 corneal procedures, with 250 of these being corneal transplants. She completed a two-year fellowship in the anterior segment at Sussex Eye Hospital, where she gained advanced experience in the medical and surgical management of corneal diseases and complex cataract procedures.

Currently, Miss Ashena's NHS based is Barking, Havering, and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, leading the Cataract Service and serving as the ophthalmology department's audit lead. She actively participates in teaching and training ophthalmology trainees as both a clinical and educational supervisor, and mentors medical students interested in pursuing ophthalmology careers.

Her academic contributions include over forty peer-reviewed publications on topics such as cataract surgery, intraocular lenses, corneal transplants, crosslinking, refractive surgery, and dry eye. She is an invited reviewer for ophthalmology journals and actively leads and contributes to research projects, including recent studies on keratoconus. She has been appointed as a College Examiner for the Certificate of Laser and Refractive Surgery.

She practises privately at Spire Hartswood Hospital and also provides consultations at The Sloane Hospital, Blackheath Hospital, and The London Independent Hospital, part of Circle Health Group.