Laser Eye Surgery Discussion Thread

condyk

Thanks rubyginger (interesting name?)

I have thought about this for 5 years at least and done lots of reading to satisfy myself it is now well worth the risk. I have not bothered tho' yet due to price, but this offer and the pages full of positive feedback made me rethink, so I bought it.

Will feedback results. Can't wait to be speccie free after 28 years ... though will no doubt be bricking myself during the procedure and for a week or two afterwards in case my eyeballs explode or fall out LOL ;-)

Dave

Ted_Hutchinson

Optical Express have just sent me a couple of 10% off vouchers valid for one month.

They are also doing a free (normally £60) consultation and guaranteeing the price will be FROM £600 (bet that's an easy guarantee to keep) phone 08702 20 20 20 quoting ref 11/dmlas

This is not a personal recommendation or a referral, I have no knowledge of Optical Express regarding Laser Eye surgery nor any financial interest in posting this.



***edited by board guide-this site does not allow the selling/swapping etc of goods/vouchers***

Spikey_2

Ted_Hutchinson wrote:

Just had another Optical Express voucher sent to me to pass on to anyone interested in getting a "Free" consultation for Laser Eye Correction and possibly the chance of winning back the cost of treatement. Expires 30th April and will post it to the first person to PM me with their address.

Ted, I've sent you a PM.

Spikey

Ted_Hutchinson

Spikey wrote:

Ted, I've sent you a PM.

Spikey

Have posted the voucher.
Have you and anyone else seen this thread
Laser eye surgery £695 for both!

katiepops_2

Okay, I've only skimmed through this post because it's late and I should be asleep ...

I work at Birmingham's Eye Hospital. The general consensus of opinion among most of the Consultants there (we are the second largest eye unit in the country) is that you don't want to touch it with a bargepole. Of course, there are Consultants at our hospital who will do this procedure privately ... I won't pass on the opinion of them that some of the other Consultants have!

All surgery has risks and benefits, and laser correction is no different. Of course, when it goes wrong it's the good old NHS that has to pick up the pieces and fund the corrective treatment.

Personally speaking I wouldn't even consider it - there's nothing wrong with wearing glasses or contact lenses in my opinion! Why would you want to pay someone to do something to your eye that basically is tantamount to sticking a red hot poker in and burning the heck out of it???

Just my opinion of course!

Kate

Ted_Hutchinson

katiepops wrote:

Okay, I've only skimmed through this post because it's late and I should be asleep ...

I work at Birmingham's Eye Hospital. The general consensus of opinion among most of the Consultants there (we are the second largest eye unit in the country) is that you don't want to touch it with a bargepole.

The link I posted to the other thread
Laser eye surgery £695 for both!
does include a copy of the NICE guidelines.
IPG102 Laser in situ keratomileusis for the treatment of refractive errors - information for people considering the procedure, and for the public
However it does seem strange to consider that your advice, which could, as it obliges people to consider medically the long term impact of such operations on their health, could be contravening the rules of this forum whereas advice encouraging people to seek the cheapest possible supplier of such services is entirely within the remit of the forum.
Personally I think a rethink of the rules is required and people should get their priorities right.

Edit
Sorry forgot this isn't in the Health Board so the above isn't really relevent.
PS I see this thread has now moved into the Health forum where direct medical advice is not supposed to be given. Obviously I think the advice which has been given in good faith and is consistent with the NICE guidelines should be allowed to stand but it does rather make a mockery of the health forum rules.

ishaqmir

I'm currently a final year optometry student, and personally, would never have laser eye surgery done. the problem with lasik at the moment, is that it essentially cuts a flap into the cornea (clear window of the eye, that provides most of the refractive power to the eye) and allows the laser to gain access to the stroma, which in a lame term is the filling in the cornea. this allows the surgeon to flatten or steepen the cornea depending on what power changes are required.

The flap is then replaced and everything may seem all perfect, ur vision may be very good, etc, etc,. but the main problem at the moment is that the flap never really heals. i.e. it remains open and is more prone to infection. there is a vast amount of research going on in vision science investigating why when the cornea is injured, it heals, but when its ablated with a laser, it doesnt heal. so i'll always stay well away from laser eye surgery.

PRK used to be the other method used, but was very painful, but at least there was no flap left hanging around. but still, it also came with its complications.

also, when you hit 40+ i'm afraid you'll be needing spectacles again for reading, as laser will never correct your reading vision, unless self-accomodating intraocular lenses implanted into the eye are successfully invented and work well.

Ginger_Pudding

I am having laser eye surgery next Tuesday at Optical Express in Manchester. The type I am having is Bilateral Lasek which involves softening the epithelium with alcohol and then moving it to one side , then the laser is applied and then the epithelium is put back into place. I had the choice of Lasik or Lasek , but although there will possibly be several days of discomfort after Lasek , I much preferred the sound of that than the risk of having of permanently dry eyes that I understand can happen with Lasik. I am over 40 and understand I will have to have reading glasses in several years , but that's ok with me.

My daughter's friend has recently had this procedure and is delighted with the results and I look forward to my surgery with no doubts , apart from the slight apprehension that one is bound to feel before any surgery. If anyone is interested in hearing how I get on , i'll report back after Tuesday.

Edit to say many thanks to Ted for very kindly sending me a voucher for 10% off at Optical Express , saving me £120 :cool:

Ginger_Pudding

It's been a week since I had laser eye surgery (Lasek) so thought i'd post an update on how i've got on.

The surgery itself was fine and I didn't feel a thing , not even the slight pressure the surgeon said i'd feel. It was over very quickly and the only stress I had that morning was getting lost on the way there! On leaving the clinic I could see quite clearly. I didn't have to wear the shields , just sunglasses and wasn't in any discomfort until a few hours later. Then I started feeling as if my eyeballs had been sandpapered which lasted until Friday afternoon , but was bearable. I had the bandage lenses removed on the Saturday and told that everything was fine including the fact that my sight was still blurred. My sight is improving every day , last week I couldn't watch TV or read anything on the PC , but although there is still slight blurring , I can now do both things. My daughter's friend could see ok almost straight away , so I don't know whether it's an age thing or perhaps bcause I have thick corneas!

I go on holiday a week next Monday , so I hope my vision will be crystal clear by then , but it will be great not to have to bother with lenses and glasses , except hopefully sunglasses :cool:

cid_2

Everybody's different, don't worry if it's not perfect straight away.

I had it done at the start of 1992. I also had the sandpaper effect for a couple of days, which some people don't get, but after that averything was fine. Blurry for a week or so, yes, but fine after that and still fine to this day (20/20 vision still, "I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles and...")

The worst thing, without a shadow of a doubt, was being told not to rub my eyes at all for a whole month. That was dreadful as I'm always rubbing my eyes, but knowing how much damage it could cause and the benefits of not doing it, I resisted.

Oh and make sure to do the drops when you're told to as they are as important as the consultants tell you they are. Mine was also Lasik by the way, from Ultralase.

Good luck with it!