Laser Eye Surgery Discussion Thread

little_lil

havent had mine done but discussed with optician and she actually recommended Boots, so they may be worth a look.

abomb1969

Dry eyes can be a problem with the surgery.

http://www.lasik-eyes.co.uk/ useful for info.

I have a friend who swears by it and is over the moon though.

Chuffy

Boots no longer perform Laser Eye Surgery (LES) due to their machines having calibration problems ???

I had my eyes done at Optimax in Leeds - both at the same time.

If you go to the clinics during an 'open week', they give you discount vouchers. I got one for £200.
At the time (June 04) the cost of the surgery was £495 per eye plus the £60 consultation fee.

Total cost £1050
Total savings £200

However I am a member of Westfield Health Scheme and I contacted them and as long as the surgeon is a member of the Royal Institute of Surgeons, you can claim claim money back upto the value of £290 (on the scheme I am in).

But wait, it gets better - they also advised me that my wife could claim her consultancy fees back as well.

So the maths goes like this:
£495 + £495 +£60 - £200 - £290 - £290 = £270.

Now that's money saving.

So in my opinion it is much better value long term than specs and lenses.


Oh, and for those wanting to know, yes it does hurt, but the results are spectacular. 8) 8) 8)

bionicwoman

Hi

I've had laser eye surgery (lasek) a couple of months ago with Optimax and can't recommend it strongly enough.

I wore contact lenses and glasses for 16 years and have shelled out loads of money on examinations, glassses, solutions and trying out every kind of contact lens on the market.

In the end you'll save alot of money and depending on the laser treatment you have (after a couple of days of discomfort - if that) your life really will be changed for the better.

Whichever eye clinic you contact, can put you in touch with previous customers who have had eye laser surgery and you can ask them about their experiences - which was of great help to me.

Having the operation has really transformed my life. And no, I have no affinities with any eye/laser clinic - I just want to reiterate having the operation has given me such a great quality of life! I wish I had done it years ago.

Good luck!

comicmankev

If anyone is quick, and you have a friend that wants it done, phone optimax with the details of both parties and say you have seen the 'msn deal' which is 'BOGOF'.

My wife has been looking into it for ages but couldnt find someone that also wanted to do it! Closing date is TODAY, so you would have to decide quick. But after all my research, I've found that only optimax has 100% positive feedback!

tubbsandeddie

Hi evil monkey,
Be careful of making such a decision on financial grounds. What price would you place on your eyesight? It is also inadvisable to have any non-emergency procedure done on a pair of organs at the same time. Things can go wrong with any surgery and I would say it would be better to have one eye done at a time. That way in the unlikely event of a complication your troubles are not doubled. Investigate the area thoroughly, finding out about as many providers as possible - who the surgeons are, their experience, where the op is done, follow-up, patient feedback etc. It may be worthwhile contacting the Royal College of Opthalmologists for general information on the subject (http://www.rcophth.ac.uk/public/laser.html). However, they cannot recommend individual providers as there is currently no need to register with a national organisation. Also speak to your GP to hear his opinion.
If, after researching exhaustively, you think this procedure is for you, choose the provider you feel is the BEST not the cheapest. If you choose a substandard provider, a saving of even quite a few hundred pounds may not seem quite so prudent.
So, if I've seemed a bit gloomy, I haven't meant to. Do your homework thoroughly and be prepared to pay for what you think is likely to have the best outcome. Finally, even though two singles operations will be more expensive than a double, it is best not to gamble with what you can't afford to lose.

Lillibet_2

I know several people who have had this done, all both eyes the same day & all with excellent results.
2 friends had it done whilst holidaying in South Africa, cost £400 for both eyes & standard of care was superb, plus another I know had it done in India whilst on a business trip : £190 for both eyes, standard of care was again excellent & he went & presented at a conference the next day. I am looking at having it done in SA if we go for a friends wedding there later next year. All reports suggest that these countries offer a equal if not superier service in these sorts of things.
I think initally there were lots of unanswered questions with this operation, certainly my optician recommended against it when I enquired 7 years ago but now says it would be very suitable for me & thinks it is much less likely to have a negative result.
I would not, however, consider going anywhere (UK or overseas) without a personal recommendation.

George_Bray

I thought of having laser eye surgery some years back. I am so relieved I didn't go ahead for at least two reasons.

(a) the risk of it going wrong, which seems to be about 1 in 10 or worse. I'm not prepared to accept those odds with my eye sight. A friend had it done last year at Boots and has had at least one follow-up operation. All is not well. His sight in at least one eye is not as good as it was before, with glasses.

Search for and read many websites that urge caution. Then decide.

(b) Recently, I've started having problems with long (reading) sight, as affects many/most folks from 40s onwards. It's a blessing being able to remove glasses and have crystal clear vision close up. When I wear contact lens (a bit like laser corrected vision if they get it spot on) I need to put on reading glasses to read. I'd hate to lose the option. For this reason alone, I would not now have laser correction even if they paid me £1200 and had a 100% success rate.

Regards
George

comicmankev

I was suggesting optimax because I know from personal recomendations that they are the best. Failure rate is NOWHERE near 1 in 10, not sure where that came from, it's about 1%. And that 1% don't GO WRONG, they just need it re-done.

Most horror stories are from a year back or further, and not many in recent time. Obviously with all major surgery, someone is going to be on the net to put a dampener on it, but this is one thing that (dependant on how your sight is) is a must!

Ticklemouse

I had my eyes tested a couple of weeks ago and asked in general about LES. Unfortunately, if you're long sighted, as I am, then there's not a lot that can be done, but I've only heard positive things from short sighted people who have had it done.

If I could, I would (along with liposuction on my knees, but that's another story ;D ;D )

TM