Laser Eye Surgery Discussion Thread

Kavanne

faith, we are paying £144 pm for 24 months. How does that sound? Yes it's a commitment but you get to have the surgery immediately and my bf has so much extra freedom now.

It may indeed be cheaper for you. Also we had wavefront which I think means that you don't lose your night vision which can happen with the standard procedure.

The only way to know is to go for your consultation

Oh yes, my bf too had the consultation in the morning, I took my ID and proof of address in at lunchtime and he was in the chair by 3.

ali-t

I had mine done at Optical Express and tbh I found them really helpfull, the surgeon was great but I had a very strong presecription (-10 in one eye and -8 in the other). There are often complications when eyesight is worse and it cost me £3300. But as I said I don't regret it and hopefully all of the complications will be sorted eventually.

OE are no cheaper than any of the others and also offer a lifetime guarantee. I went on a forum run by one of the big companies (think it was ultralase) and that really helped my decision and to get over any of the side effects.

I really think you OH is making a mistake with the timing of the op and her recovery and visual standards can be variable depending on whether it is lasek or lasik she gets. I have had both types due to having to get the wrinkle fixed and neither is pleasant but nor is the treatment sore. I have a feeling the 10 day window you OH has given herself could be problematic as the surgeons travel the UK and with OE they are only in each area a couple of days a month so she won't get to choose her surgeon either.

I would advise going on one of the specialist forums to get some in depth feedback.

ceridwen

Oooh....your choice of course....but I imagine anyone who opts for laser eye surgery wouldnt have read any of the "scientific study" articles about it. The gist of those articles is that they list off the possible side-effects of this and what percentage of people have experienced them subsequent to the operation.

I strongly suggest before you even think any further on whether to have this or no that you google for some information about this - and then think again....

It definitely DOESNT sound like a good idea to me from what I've read:eek:. The risks are high of getting left with side-effects.

It is also the case that this type of operation hasnt been around for that long - no-one knows what the very long-term side-effects might be. Many people go on in old age to get something wrong with their eyes anyway - eg cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma, etc and I wonder whether people might find themselves 40 years down the line being told "You have such-and-such wrong with your eyes and need the following treatment - but we are unable to do it because you had that laser operation 40 years ago and it means the treatment for your eye illness is impossible because of the changes that laser treatment has made to your eyes". I dont know/none of us knows whether that scenario is likely to come up in their future - but I simply dont think it would be a risk worth taking.

Running_Horse

When I worked for Optical Express it was the manager's job to explain to people that the low price advertised only applied to certain corrections, that never seemed to ask for for treatment. They took four times as much money from various cosmetic surgeries as they did from selling glasses.

I was lucky enough to be working for Boots during a public scare about Lasik and got a huge discount due to lack of trade. My prescription was about -3.00, and it was the best thing I have ever done. Becoming a non-glasses wearer has boosted my self-image in many ways.

The procedure feels like a mix of being prodded and having various liquids squirted in your eyes. It is slightly uncomfortable, but the only unpleasant thing is the slight smell of burning. Your eyes are light sensitive and feel gritty for a few days, but drops help recovery.

However, like any surgery it does have risks. You have to be really motivated to want it done, and as someone put it to me, most opticians would not even consider having it. I have never regretted it, but for those where it has gone wrong, they must have a constant reminder in their inability to see properly, even with glasses.

faithcecilia

I'm not sure I would want it the same day as the consultation, I like time to think about things before I do them:cool:

I know of a few people who have had it done with very good results, though one found it took him a while to get used to it, but then I guess thats a bit like I wear theday and night lnses, and if I ever have to take them out it takes awhile to get used to glasses as although both correct my vision they do it differently.

I haven't heard of anyone who has had a 'disaster', thankfully.

I almost think I would rather have one eye done then go back and have the 2nd, but that would be complicated wth glasses wouldn't it??

Hmmm, won't be immediately anyway, need to do a lot of saving first!

Mich81

I went to Optimax a few years ago, the payments started straight away at 0% - however a work colleague went this year and they offered her the option of starting payments next year so its worth calling them.

Also, they gave me an offer where they would lower the cost if I had it done within x number of weeks (about 5 I think) as they had a lot of appointment slots empty - this suited me as I could get time off work quite easily.

Check with the Ambulance services that they will allow her to have this done, as I believe within some police forces won't allow you to join them until a few months after the operation to ensure your eyes have settled down and aren't causing you any problems.

I had a great experience with Optimax, went from having a -8 prescription to 20/20 vision so it was well worth the money.

Mich81

I paid a £200 deposit, then paid £100 a month over 12 months so £1400 for both eyes - that was for Lasik, and treated my mild astigmatism.

I'd enquired with Optimax when I was 18 but my prescription was still changing so couldn't have it done - but for years later they were sending me special offers through the post and I ended up having it done when I was 24. The reason it was so low is because they sent me a mailout explaining that they had a lot of empty appointments over the next 5 weeks and if I could have it done within that timescale they would knock £500 off. I'd been looking into it since I was 18 so felt comfortable having it done at such short notice, had it done within 2 weeks of the letter arriving.

So might be worth registering your interest with them, get an info pack and watch out for any offers coming through the post.

pinkneonmartini

Mich81 wrote: »

I went to Optimax a few years ago, the payments started straight away at 0% - however a work colleague went this year and they offered her the option of starting payments next year so its worth calling them.

Also, they gave me an offer where they would lower the cost if I had it done within x number of weeks (about 5 I think) as they had a lot of appointment slots empty - this suited me as I could get time off work quite easily.

Check with the Ambulance services that they will allow her to have this done, as I believe within some police forces won't allow you to join them until a few months after the operation to ensure your eyes have settled down and aren't causing you any problems.

I had a great experience with Optimax, went from having a -8 prescription to 20/20 vision so it was well worth the money.

Thanks Mich, i think it must have been Optimax she saw advertising the offer. Will get her to give them a ring and see what they can do, and of course make sure she checks it out with her new job :rolleyes:

gbatey

I had mine done with Ultralase and luckily everything went smoothly and to plan! Best thing I have ever done; when you've worn glasses and lenses for a long period of time and then go to not wearing any its such a great feeling! It was always the cost factor that put me off but when you weigh up the cost of lenses and solutions and new frames and lenses for glasses over a lifetime its worth it.

Ruby_Moon

Has she found out for sure that laser surgery will work with her particular eye problem?