Laser Eye Surgery Discussion Thread

Baglady_2

I considered trying Optimax quite a few years ago and asked my GP what she thought. She didn't advise it at the time as there hadn't been any longitudinal studies of outcomes, and eyesight is too precious to muck about with. Maybe you should go with your gut feeling & do more research first?
I know what you mean about thick specs though. When I was more flush, I could afford to buy thin lenses, but now I'm more skint, I try and get smaller lenses to try and minimise the thick edges. Sorry I can't be more help.

pinkneonmartini

Hey folks, this is a request for my OH,

she has decided to bite the bullet and get her eyes lasered before xmas. I know this isn't a great time scale, but she's just accepted a new job as an Emergency Care Assistant, essentially driving ambulances. Her training for this job starts on the 21st of december, but she doesn't leave her current job til the 11th. That gives her about a 10 day window to get the op done.

Now comes the complicated bit!

She is definitely not the MSE half of the relationship, she's hoping this job will be the answer to all her prayers because she'll be £500 a month better off, but i can't see her doing anything constructive with the cash :rolleyes:

Anyway, she swears blind that she has seen an advert for either optimax or ultralase offering a "pay nothing til .... & 0% finance when payments start". This is the only kind of offer she can look at, as due to other commitments like her car/loans she just doesn't have the £100 a month now. Ideally, if the repayments could start in 2011 or later she'd be in even better standing, because i've convinced her to open a seperate bank account and put £50 a month away, so that by the time the payments start she'll have a little head start and be used to the money going out each month, she'll just have to increase it a little.

The problem is i can't find this "pay nothing til... +0%" offer ANYWHERE!!!
I've got the £500 off vouchers on ebay, i've found 0% payment plans with both, but only for 12 months and starting from the consultation date :mad:

Has anybody out there seen the ad? or can direct me to it? or direct me to a different company offering a similar payment plan? i'm usually good at finding these things

ali-t

I would encourage your OH not just to think about the money side but also the safety and practicality elements of eye surgery. I had mine done in may of this year and have to get it redone as my vision isn't great. I also had to get a second op as my cornea wrinkled while it was healing. Despite this I still don't have any regrets about getting it done BUT...

I struggle in the dark and see haloes and star bursts round lights which makes driving not as easy as it was. I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable driving an ambulance about with ill people in it. I also struggle to see if I am driving and it is very dark with no street lights.

FWIW I think she would be daft to do it in the 'window' of time she has. If she has complications she may not be able to start the job or even ever start the job. she will have left her old job and not be entitled to anything other than SSP.

My opinion is that she would be better waiting until she has been in the new job at least 6 months so may be entitled to additional support from her employer rather than potentially wrecking her chances at her new job.

But that isn't the question you asked and unfortunately I can't help you with that.

pinkneonmartini

It's ok, its nice to hear peoples opinions too, i personally know alot of people who have had bad experiences with Optical Express, which is why she's opted for the bigger (and more expensive) brands which offer their "lifetime service" she is very nervous about the op, but she technically failed her medical fitness test for her C1 driving test, as she couldn't read the eye chart without her glasses.

With her glasses she could read every line, which was satisfactory for a pass, but means she will have notes put on her licence stating that her glasses MUST be worn. And given that she was looking at having the surgery done anyway (she's been umming and ahhing for years) she figured that rather than have to pay to change her C1 licence and go through all the medicals again, in a year or twos time, it would be easier to get her eyes done before she even sits her theory test, and then wouldn't have to worry about the inconvenience and expense of getting her licence altered.

But thank you for your opinions! They really are helpful ali-t! Could i ask who you had yours done through?

I know 5 people who have had their eyes done, 3 went to optical express on a £395 "lunch hour" op and all have had complications, ranging from infections, to alterations and even having to have it completely re-done, like yourself. The 4th person had his done through optimax to the tune of £3000 but has never had a single problem, and the 5th was my dad who had his lense replaced as he was suffering from diabetic cataracts, but he only had one eye done, and it was through the NHS. Can't really include him though as he still needs glasses for his other eye, lol.

All this makes me so thankful i have 20:20 vision, it's such a minefield! :rolleyes:

tomstickland

A few years back I read up on laser eye surgery and it's very common to have problems driving at night afterwards.

faithcecilia

As I start work on Monday:j I am considering saving up for laser eye surgery. I had intended doing this a few years ago but ran out of both money and time.

I just wondered if anyone has had this done, and what your experiences were? Also, did you get the advertised price of £395 per eye that most places seem to be offering?

Thanks for any opinions/info.

Kavanne

Hello My bf just had it done with Optimax. They offer non credit searched finance over 24 months (ie: anyone who can prove their address and bank details can have it! You also need employers details but not wage slips)

£395 is a load of balls. My bf was -5.25 in each eye and both had astigmatism.... It cost £3500!!!

Worth every penny.

Make sure you are aware of the risks first and make sure you feel comfortable at the clinic and with the surgeon.

Athome1

Kavanne wrote: »

Hello
£395 is a load of balls. My bf was -5.25 in each eye and both had astigmatism.... It cost £3500!!! .

I totally agree, I know lots of friends and family who've had this done and no one paid less than £1,000 per eye. Don't believe that it is painless either:eek: Both my daughters had theirs done and they are thrilled with the result BUT both say they would NEVER have it done again (part of the blurb is, if it isn't successful, the second op will be carried out for free). My younger daughter looked like an extra from a Dracula film (so many broken capilaries sp?).
I thought about it but decided to stick with my contact lens:p

SuzyWuzy_2

Hi,

I had mine done. I only had one eye done at the time as the other was more complicated to do. It cost I think..£1400 maybe more. I planned to go back but my eyesight is really good now ( i think) so i think i'll leave it..

You get one year before you pay then its 2 years interest free credit. Apprantly you should barter but i wasnt money saving at the time. I also have astigmatism so it was more expensive.

I also think it was well worth it but the pain was unbelievable , im no wuss I have 5 children! i think i had some sort of reaction to it. I've never felt pain like it. I was in agony for about 7 hours. But I believe this is rare, I would recommend it but be warned. I felt like I had a red hot poker in my eye for hours. Its bad enough poking yourself in the eye with a mascara wand!!

EDIT I visited manchesters Optimax in the morning and had the surgery in the afternoon - thats the norm , its that quick!

faithcecilia

Kavanne wrote: »

Hello My bf just had it done with Optimax. They offer non credit searched finance over 24 months (ie: anyone who can prove their address and bank details can have it! You also need employers details but not wage slips)

£395 is a load of balls. My bf was -5.25 in each eye and both had astigmatism.... It cost £3500!!!

Worth every penny.

Make sure you are aware of the risks first and make sure you feel comfortable at the clinic and with the surgeon.

No way could I afford £3500!!:eek::eek::eek: My vision is -2.75 left and -3.75 right,no astigmatism, so maybe I would be able to have the cheaper procedure? I hope so! I know you can't take chances with your eyes, but £3500 is just way out of my budget. I'd have to stay with lenses if that ended up being my quote.