Laser Eye Surgery Discussion Thread

nearlyrich

I don't think it hurts now so you should be OK and if you are in Leeds ( I think you are) ultralase are based at Jimmy's so you won't have far to go. If you have any questions please pm me as I know it is a hard decision to make but I think it is the best thing I ever did healthwise.

EvilMonkey

Just a quick note, I took a look at the website mentioned above:-

http://www.lasik-eyes.co.uk/

Seems to be a really good site, with reviews by clinic (or rather company) from real people.

Good for tips on handling the surgery.

I also downloaded the pdf's from the Royal Cllege of Opthalmologists, good advice there too. Will stand me in good stead when we go to the clinic on Saturday for the preliminaries.....

debs_3

I spent 6 years deciding wether to have my eyes done or not and then saving up the money to have them done. I finally took the plunge last December. It has been fantastic since then.

I used Optimax in Manchester, I had epi-lasik, had both eyes done at the same time, I have had no problems, I also used a buy one get one free offer that I found on this website. It has totally transformed my life. Now my mum and auntie have both had theirs done with the Bring a friend free offer which Optimax are now doing again over the christmas period.

If you do decide to get it done, then I suggest you have 5-7 days where you dont have to deal with anything (work, kids etc.) you may need 2 days in a darkened room as your eyes may be sensitive to the light. There is no pain involved in the operation, just discomfort for about 5 days, the main thing is your eyes feel gritty and water constantly but you are not allowed to rub them as this can cause problems with the healing process.

You are given pain killers and sleeping tablets, I suggest you take the pain killers as soon as you leave the centre and when you get home, go straight to bed and sleep. The best medicine is sleep, my mum slept for 2 days and then flew to turkey on the 4th day after her operation.

Anyway, I hope you come to a decision which is right for you. I know I would recommend Optimax again, my 2 other aunties are having their eyes done over christmas.

All I can say is thanks to this website our family has saved over £4000 on eye surgery alone.

Debs.

Wightfez

My wife had laser eye surgery 3 years ago at Optimax in Leeds, we paid £495 per eye and is probably the best money ever spent. Not only the fact that you can see normally (she now has 20/20 vision), but the hassle free mornings from contact lenses.

Remember:

Spending time each day cleaning and preparing.

Getting drunk and forgetting to take them out, not pleassant in the morning.

Spending hours on your knees looking for the dropped lenses.

Forgetting to neutralise before putting them in- Ouch!

Of course it's an individual choice but here's our opinion.

Optimax (Leeds) very professional, very thorough and I was suprised by the amount of aftercare you received, I expected that once it was done and the cash banked it would be see ya! but not at all.

Yes it does hurt, but not really whilst having it done, it is mainly afterwards. The anesthetic wears off a couple of hours after then it does hurt and mainly feels very itchy and irritable like having grit in your eye.

You can see the laser but it's not the scene out of James Bond (Laser, metal table and crotch!) you just have to focus on the pin !!!!!! of light. You can smell it a little bit which isn't particulaly nice but hardly a amjor problem. Your eyes will water incessantly for at least 24 hours but will stop eventually.

You do have to suffer the embarassment of walking through the city centre looking like spiderman without the suit just the large plastic shields over your eyes.

Great enjoyment spending time with my wife after the shields came off, reading signs from 30 yards that would have only been a blur previously.

As I type this my wife just walked past and said I would have it done again ten times over.

They will tell you all of the risks and in my opinion they were brutally honest, in our opinion it's worth the intial consultation than you can make a decision for yourself.

Good luck in whatever you chose!

gordyffc

Another thumbs up for Optimax (Glasgow) from me.

After wearing glasses and contacts for 12 years and pondering over laser surgery for the last few years I decided to take the plunge and had lasik surgery in October. They price matched another offer then took £50 off so I got both eyes done (at the same time) for £1,100

The service was excellent and as others have stated they don't give you a "hard sell". I must admitt though reading the yellow leaflet with the potential problems if things go wrong is very scary.

Regarding the pain I wouldn't say it was bad at all the weirdest part for me was when they lasered my eyes and I could smell the burning. ;D You do constantly blink for a few hours after the surgery as you feel like you have grit in your eyes but other than that it was pain and hassle free for me.

I'm over the moon with the results, I now have 20:20 vision and have since been back for 2 after care appointments and every thing is ok.

If you really really want it and are sick and tired of contacts and glasses like I was then go for it.

MaryC

I had mine done in September this year at Optimax in Manchester. My sight is great and I have no problems with night vision or dry eyes (bar that I get grit in them more often but this is more due to the not having the glasses to shield my eyes from dust!)

I was scared about it and had hesitated for a year or so. In the end I bit the bullet and went for a consultation with the surgeon. He told me about all the things that could gfo wrong which sounded scary but then I asked how many problems he had had in the last few years. He said he did 30 eyes one week and 60 the next and that in the previous 12 months he had had 2 problems. Both were related to the flap which is cut and both were sorted quickly and the people involved are fine now. The previous year he had no problems.
This calmed me down a lot and he was so calm and competent that I went for it. He has his own website which outlines the research which has been done and the various options and things which was very useful.

I have raved about it to everyone I speak to as my experience has been so positive. However, the best thing to do is actually to speak to a surgeon and get their advice as they really know what they are talking about.

leylie

Another one here with a note of caution. In agreement with Londonman - it's a relatively new procedure so no one knows the long term effects.

Just for interest, I work for a local charity for the visually impaired, visiting people who have been registered blind and partially sighted. More than half of us in the office COULD have the surgery, I often wish I didn't need my specs - but not one of us will risk it.
How many eye consultants & opticians risk getting their own eyes done? I honestly don't know the answer, but I do remember reading an article a couple of years ago, by a moorfields consultant making this point.

Good Luck whatever you decide

nearlyrich

Curly, I think if you read the thread there are people offering experiences of over 10 years since they had treatment, me included. The surgeon who did my eyes had undergone the treatment himself before offering it as a service to the public. I had a good experience no problems no side effects at all, ever.

I know things can go wrong and I would be the first to say it is a decision that an individual has to make for themselves but speaking personally I started to wear glasses at 13 my eyes got progressively worse. I tried various kinds of contact lenses but always ended up with sore eyes.

For me the worst thing I can think of is to go blind, I know or have known a few people who suffer from blindness, I love reading and can't sit down for 5 mins without a book to read or I get bored.

I had Lasik in 1993 and 1994 so now have over 10 years of 20:20 vision, confirmed still 20:20 by a free eye check a few weeks ago ( Thanks to this site).

It is great to not worry if your spare specs are in the glovebox just in case the eyes reject the lenses or you break your no1 pair.

It's also good to save £200 to £300 per year and just have a pair of nice sunglasses which you can wear or not as the mood takes you.

Try it you might like it.................

EvilMonkey

I find it strange that this is one of those topics which people are a little funny about. When you look into it, the risks are incredibly low of even minor complications, however people still go on about how dangerous and new it is... As I said before we all routinely subject ourselves to "new" procedures with out a second thought to their safety, yet laser eye surgery gets peoples hackles up...

pin

I've been reading this thread with interest. I've been wearing glasses / contact lenses since as long as I can remember. Laser eye treatment, on the face of it sounds like a blessing.

However I remain sceptical about it. I've chatted to a couple of optom friends about this, and they are not at all keen on it. They say that it is not a proven method (only been introduced in the UK since 1989). That might seem a long time, but considering you have to use your eyes for your entire life.

I have also met a few people who have had the treatment. Some swear by it, and think it is the best thing they have ever done. However a few have complained that they often suffer from dry eyes.

Things may change in the future, and laser eye surgery may become a proven method. Until then I think I'm going to stick with poking my eyes out with contact lenses.

Also there is an article about laser eye surgery in today's Times:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1390686,00.html