Laser Eye Surgery Discussion Thread

Ladyhawk

I had it done in 2000 - I was very short sighted at -6.5. Sadly it only last 6 months before I had to start wearing lenses again. Though I have thin corneas which means that I can't have it done again. My eyes are now very dry - not sure if it is related to the surgery though I have always assumed that it was.

Having said that - if I could have it again I would. I had no pain at all afterwards.

simon_young

Hi Lady hawk

Surely your vision is not as bad as it was before you had surgery? Thats the problem if you have thin corneas they often cant do it again - your dry eyes should improve though over time as your eye continues to heal

cattkitt

It's something I've looked at doing. Circa £2k from one of the major names, and just under £4k from a leading Moorefields surgeon.

Has anyone else explored the "care for the body" aspect of it all?
I've been advised that Lutein is a good thing to have for a while before and after the operation(Centrum Advance 50+ seems good for that), and that ideally, like for any surgery, you should refrain from strenuous activity for a month after the op(like swimming or lugging stuff about for a house move!).

That's not to say that you can't do stuff, but if you can avoid it, it would be good to avoid activity that would exert strain on a newly compromised part of the body, giving it every chance to heal.

simon_young

Hi Cattkitt,

I think Lutien is generally useful for people with macular problems such as macular degeneration and laser eye surgery does not treat this part of the eye. There is certainly no harm having these supplements but choosing the best surgeon is without doubt the most important thing to do to ensure your have a safe and successfull procedure.

cattkitt

Thank you, Simon. The little "extras" bit interests me, as it seems like such an easy thing to do, and for comparatively little outlay, compared to the procedure.

For instance, I know that someone who had a breast enhancement(yes, I know, and I haven't quite recovered from the fact that I actually have a friend who would do that!), and they were given arnica to take for the two weeks leading up to the surgery. Seems such a simple and sensible addition to the care regime.
And yes, it hurt like nothing on earth, apparently. She said she'd never had pain like that before! (breast surgery, not eye surgery!)

Teeoff

simon_young wrote: »

You should research all the different clinics before you decide to have the treatment - i would recommend having at least 2 laser eye surgery consultations

Hi Simon,
I had an awful experience with Optical Express who lied to me and millions of other people about the likely cost of surgery (£395 per eye) - it actually was quoted at £3,250 and being a keen golfer I was attracted to them because they had treated padraig harrington - or so the ad told me. Wrong! THEY LIED AGAIN. My golf hero was not treated by them but by another clinic in Ireland called the Wellington adn as a result they've had to pull the ad - because they lied. Now I have been told to take a look at Accuvision, do you know anything about them? I have a consultation booked next week and reviews look good.

cattkitt

I had the same thing with quotes with Optical Express. My quote was £2.6k, but 10% off if I booked there and then for an "early slot that had become available". I had to very firmly decline booking, which they were very smoothly pressing for(quite impressed at the slick pressuring techniques!)

The very personable girl(she was a girl-10 years younger than me) who did my test then called me, and I declined again. She gently pressed more, but made the mistake of saying "After all, you can't put a price on your eyesight". Maybe it's because I have Asperger's Syndrome and am too frank for social comfort, or maybe this is how a fed up neurotypical person would react anyhow, but I thought it was a really silly thing to say in view of the fact we'd just discussed the price, and replied to her "But you just have"(put a price on my eyesight). There was a bit of a startled silence from her at that point. Lol.

babyshoes

I had laser in 2001, now back to wearing glasses as my sight had continued to change, and I have developed astigmatism which I didn't have before. You need to be happy that your sight isn't still changing significantly, or it won't last long. If it is changing slowly, it should last long enough...

It was wonderful afterwards though, did a huge amount for my self confidence. There was some pain, and it was very uncomfortable (imagine putting a contact lens in backwards when you have itchy, sore eyes from swimming in a pool with too much chlorine...) , but the clinic I went to (in South Africa) gave me a strong sleeping pill for the first day, so I by the time I woke up the pain was less intense, I had supper and went to bed again. It was bearable on the second day!

Dinah93

Well having been to see my optician he's told me it's not an infection I keep getting - but that I'm allergic to (wait for it) air! Apparently I react to everything in it - dust, pollen, pollutants etc, and he's advised me to try wearing contacts every day for a month see if it improves - and it has hugely. My contacts are a natural barrier protecting my eyes, so I guess thats my decision made, I couldn't stand having itchy eyes all the time. Thanks to everyone who took the time to post their stories.

cattkitt

Can someone help me, please?
I keep on hearing about how everyone was fine after the op, that sight is usually surprisingly good immediately after, etc, but I've been reading the precautions issued by one surgery, and it says


"For Bilateral Wavefront LASIK,

1 - We advise that you make arrangements for a friend or relative to accompany you home.
2 - Tube travel immediately after surgery is not advisable
3 - Please bring sunglasses"

I can understand precaution #3, but why would #1 and #2 be necessary? What kind of a state would I be in precisely to need #1, and what on earth does the Tube do to just operated on eyes? Thank you for any help!