Laser Eye Surgery Cost Cutting Tips

point3

tanith wrote:

can anyone tell me what happens after laser surgery.. do your eyes continue to deteriorate as before the op so that in a while you again need glasses or is this op a fix that works forever more...?

You're advised to have the surgery at a stage of your life when your vision is stable i.e. not when you're a growing teenager or in your middle years when you might start finding yourself in need of reading glasses. The results are longlasting and you don't require repeat surgery

Having said that, most people have this surgery at a fairly young age for short-sightedness and will find that as they get older they become long-sighted and so may require reading glasses for near vision.

HTH

Man-Alive

point3 wrote:

The results are longlasting and you don't require repeat surgery

Having said that, most people have this surgery at a fairly young age for short-sightedness and will find that as they get older they become long-sighted and so may require reading glasses for near vision.

HTH

This is exactly what I was told by the Doc who carried out my surgery. He underlined the fact that it would be almost a certainty that I would require reading glasses after about the age of 45.

vixarooni

i would like to have it done, but im scared of having it done. I cant even use contacts because im such a wuss, even eye drops are a nightmare. So i dunno how i would cope with things in my eye!

Hunbot

I've just had a first consultation for Lasik (wavefront) & have been quoted £1600 per eye, I'm going to have a further consultation with Optical Express next week to make a comparison. My prescription is -5.00 for both eyes.

Just a quick update 25/4/07
I had the Lasik procedure with Wavefront & Intralase on Saturday 21/4/07 after careful consideration I chose Optical Express . It's early days I know but after my 24 hour check up I was informed my eyesight was two lines better than 20/20 in one & one line better than 20/20 in the other. I'd say that was pretty good for day one post surgery ! I have to say the procedure was painless although once the local anaesthetic wore off I was in some pain for a little while but that's forgotten about now and it's great to be able to see without specs or contact lenses which I've worn for 25 & 21 respectively.:j :

pre-reg

whats the best price anyone has been offered for lasik with wavefront +femtosecond at optimax?

Thanks

Man-Alive

pre-reg wrote:

whats the best price anyone has been offered for lasik with wavefront +femtosecond at optimax?

Thanks

I paid £1480 for this treatment for both eyes last Friday at the Optimax in Leeds.

blll

I am a surgeon and work for one of the laser companies (I am not telling you which as this may make it look as if I am advertising).

Just a warning, not all lasers are equal. Some can give much better results than others, think of Mercedes versus Vauxhall. Both are cars and to a non-expert both may look superficially similar, but we all know which is best.

Price is not a guide. The best clinic that I know is certainly not the most expensive.

Sorry, now you are on your own, good luck.

caraboo

Please Please also remember that the machine (laser) does not guide it self. It is vitaly important to check out the surgeon with the nhs. Make sure he is qualified as an eye surgeon an not a vet. Sounds strange but used to be possible. Dont know if it is now.


On a possitive note i had laser eye surgery in leeds (ultralase). 8 years ago - have not been happier. I checked out with NHS surgeon who worked at Newcaslte and was transferred to leeds. I kept with surgeon as he was who i checked and was comfortable with.

Surgery is elective and a very big decision - most of these sites have chat rooms also - recommend visiting and listening to other peoples views.

cosmokramer2004

caraboo wrote:

Please Please also remember that the machine (laser) does not guide it self.

Most modern lasers do actually guide themselves (based on pupil center - and also eye axis rotation if Custom treatment) :

In refractive surgery, trained monkeys could pretty much carry out the role of surgeon. There is very little skill involved in the surgical procedure and as bill above mentions the results of the surgery depend greatly on the LASER used. Where the surgeon's ability comes to the fore is in the post-op aftercare.. if required.

As far as picking the right laser for the surgery - I would strongly recommend the VisX STAR S4+IR LASER with CustomVue Wavefront treatment over any other LASER currently FDA approved (although things do change rather quickly). Other LASER's to google for include Bosch & Lomb (inc Zyoptics - the B&L equivalent of CustomVue).

It is particularly important to ensure that the laser is relatively current to the point where it has active pupil tracking (DO NOT let yourself be treated by an older laser with no tracking). It is also extremely important that the laser allows wavefront treatments, especially in patients with pupil sizes larger than about 6mm or who suffer from poor night vision/glare pre treatment.

Additionally it is well worth the extra cash to plump for the IntraLase LASER created flap.. this procedure greatly reduces the risk of flap complications with LASIK and results tend to be 1 line better on the eye test. Healing can be a little more uncomfortable than the mechanical blade created flap, and you may be light sensitive for up to 2 weeks post surgery, but long term results are better. Whatever you do though, DO NOT choose IntraLase OVER Wavefront/Custom treatment if cost is an issue.. the 1 line improvement of IntraLase does not match the improvement a Wavefront over a standard treatment can bring. So Wavefront first, then IntraLase..

http://www.allaboutvision.com/visionsurgery/lasik_laser.htm this site gives a good round up of the results and technical specifications of most commonly used FDA approved excimer LASERs and has lots of other interesting info. https://www.lasik-eyes.co.uk is another good one with lots of user reviews of the various clinics.

Finally don't forget, you'll be wearing sunglasses everywhere you go for a week.. :cool:

barginunter

tanith wrote:

can anyone tell me what happens after laser surgery.. do your eyes continue to deteriorate as before the op so that in a while you again need glasses or is this op a fix that works forever more...?

I had mine done in 2001 at Ultralase. My vision before that was -4.50.The op was fine, post-op no probs - fantastic vision. Within 3 years I noticed things were not so sharp and got glasses for driving with a low prescription of -.75.
My sight has now weakened to around -1.5 so need specs for cinema and telly. My optician says this is not unusual but it is unlikely I will ever get as short-sighted as I was originally.

I have never been back to Ultralase cos I don't think they'd be interested.

I am now 51, I can still read without reading glasses which is a big advantage I suppose. I don't regret having Lasik I'm just a bit disappointed at how quickly I deteriorated. My eyes are slightly dry which does add to the problem and of course drops don't last very long. For everyday use walking around I really am at the point where I would be more comfy wearing my specs.
I think I have just been unlucky.