Laser Eye Surgery Cost Cutting Tips

RP2X

Think im gonna go for optimax and that ebay deal

Just a quick question seems 2 people are saying different things regarding the pricing/and levels of eye sight.

Is it £395 for epi-lasek or does the price go up if yours eyes are -4 or -5 ?

Cos on that ebay it clearly has this :

hi, I have wanted laser surgery for some time, but could not afford it. My contact lens prescription is Left eye -4.00 Right eye -3.50, and have been for a few years. How much in total would it cost me to have corrective surgery and are there any catches at all? thanks

A: Either bid or buy it now. £395 x two = £790 is the cost plus upgrades if you choose. You are a good candidate for treatment. There are no hidden charges unless you opt for LASIK or Wavefront. You can take non status credit to spread the cost over 18 months. Regards Russell


So it seems its still £395 per eye regardless of how blind u are or did I get it wrong ?!

panther_31

I am 51 years old and have trouble reading only, is laser treatment no good for me.

garryhq

UPDATE - 6 months after retreatment to my left eye - on 20 July 2007.
I have to admit I was concerned about the increased possibility of complications associated with lifting flaps etc., but Dr Madhusudhan was confident my vision would be much improved after a slight tweak - and it was!
Interestingly, my retreatment was almost completely painless. The Intrlase flap lifted easily (no clamps this time!!) and the laser treatment took just a few (milli)seconds. I would certainly recommend anyone who is concerned about flap complications to talk it through with their doctor before making a final decision. Based on, possibly out of date, evidence from the Internet I almost wrote my left eye off as being 'good enough' and further treatment as too risky considering my vision wasn't poor - sort of, too much to risk if it worsened. Thankfully, I decided to talk it through with my doctor who was able to allay all of my concerns. I am very grateful to Dr Madhusudhan and the extremely helpful opticians and friendly reception staff at the Optimax Liverpool clinic.
Original post: follows

I had Intralase Wavefront Lasik on 6th Dec 2006 - prescription was R+4.25 and L+4.75 both with -1.25 astigmatism, I believe the minus astigmatism went slightly in my favour and put me just within the limits for laser eye correction. The maximum treatable prescription is +4. With a plus operation the surgeon has to raise the lens and not flatten it as with a minus correction. This procedure entails a sort of polo mint shape being etched in the lens to raise the centre area and is still considered an experimental procedure. The result was very good in my right eye but slightly less so in my left. I think I'm going to have to have a retreatment to my left eye later this month. The cost was £2200 in total but I would do it all over again if I had to. NOT FOR VANITY, never ever for vanity, for all the reasons everyone has already mentioned - the risks, the pain, the hassle of having to travel 120 miles to the clinic and back on a regular basis etc..

My reason for having it done was simply because I could no longer get glasses that I could see through! Seriously, several attempts at getting varifocals (£400 a time - or two pairs from the high street chains) failed to give me suitable vision to do my job. I couldn't get accurate contacts because of my astigmatism and the torics never stayed in place - driving was a nightmare!

My night vision isn't perfect now but it's much improved. I have some minor star bursts around street lights etc - but nothing anywhere near as bad as when I wore glasses. Distant traffic lights used to look like palm trees! Obviously, due to my age, I still need to wear reading glasses. But previously I had no useful (uncorrected) vision. Without my glasses I was unable to see anything in any great detail - much like being under water. I couldn't see which shampoo I was picking up, or if it was shampoo! I couldn't see the alarm clock, or which button to press if the telephone rang. Now I can do all of these things without too much trouble.

And this is why I decided to go ahead with my correction.
From my own experience I would advise anyone considering laser eye treatment to read through these 5 questions:
1. do you have any useful vision?
- if so, are you willing to lose it to gain good distance vision?
(worst case scenario for some perhaps but a certainty if you're approaching 50)

2. is your eyesight now becoming a problem for you?
i.e. preventing you doing the things you need/want to do and no other options are available.

3. would you be willing to undergo a painful, risky operation to get an 'average' result?
- more people get an average result, some lucky ones might get a fantastic result but you have to be realistic.

4. are you a perfectionist?
- if so, you're probably going to be disappointed.

5. if Q1 to Q4 haven't put you off - then imagine this...
You've had the op and your distance vision is as good as it was with glasses - so it would be considered a good result and retreatment wouldn't be offered. Your near vision is now slightly blurred so you have to use £5 reading glasses. Your night vision is okay but you have some starbursts around bright lights and you may have to wear sunglasses (or a hat) in bright sunlight for a year or so because it hurts not to.
Are you satisfied?
If your answer is NO then I would recommend you DON'T have laser eye treatment.
It was an easy decision for me, I was having problems seeing anything so I was more than willing to accept an average result and I haven't regretted anything yet.
So good luck to anyone considering laser eye treatment and I hope my story helps you to make the right decision! :rolleyes:

MrsJ2008

I had my eyes lasered (Lasik) back in 2001 by Boots.

For the first 6 months I did not have any problems BUT I do now.

I suffer with dry eyes. I have to put drops in daily otherwise it feels like I have sand in my eyes.

I can't see very well in artificial light (supermarkets, etc) or dusk.

And...... i'm back wearing glasses.

Boots did offer me more corrective surgery but they couldn't confirm whether my symptoms would get worse or stay the same, so I opted to leave well alone.

I would really only advise anyone to have surgery is has extremely bad eyesight. It's not worth the risks nor the complications with which I now suffer.


PS. Speaking with a friend who worked in an opticians.... she told me they got commission if the recommended laser surgery companies - they didn't even know whether they were any good or not!!!!

wozwebs

MrsJ2008 - It is unfortunate that you have had problems with your eyes. How old are, if you don't mind me asking, as everyones eyes deteriorate when they get into their 40's anyway.

Also bear in mind that procedures have advanced a lot since 2001. I had mine done a year ago using Optimax and their ebay offer. Over the moon with the results. Can now see perfectly and only ever put drops in if I feel they are getting dry.

Didn't hurt at all, just a strange feeling. I'd recommend it to anyone. I had Lasik with Femtosecond and Wavefront. had -2.5 in one eye and -2.25 in the other with an astigmatism. Wore glasses for 13 years and am 31 now.

chris_aaaaa

I know the wrong place to ask this, but this aint like buying a TV, people often say for laser eye surgery go for the most expensive. My experience is that the most expensive is not always the best.

So what is the best operator ignoring the cost, that decided, what is the cheapest way to go there?

Also has anyone had this who cannot wear contacts due to sensitive eyes?

I tried soft lenses and it drove me mad, it would take 30 mins to put them in. I would get home from work lie down and squirt saline straight into my eyes - in the end I found I avoided moving my eyes due to the 'ticklish' effect of the lenses moving against my eye lids.

If I had this done, does it roughen up the surface of the eye at all?

Chris

cmhbyandco

I have to recommend Optimax. I had laser surgery 3 years ago & it was so easy to change my life.

I had very sensitive eyes & wore lenses but only for a short length of time. The surgery was practically painless & the recovery was very quick.

I have had absolutely no problems since..............I highly recommended the whole experience. I am sure you wil not regret it.

Good Luck with your decision

Regards

Christine

garryhq

If you are an Ebay member you can, "Ask the seller a question" and Russell Ambrose usually replies within a day or two - so, whatever your question, you should get a very concise answer this way.
Hope this helps.
GB

RP2X wrote: »

Think im gonna go for optimax and that ebay deal

Just a quick question seems 2 people are saying different things regarding the pricing/and levels of eye sight.

Is it £395 for epi-lasek or does the price go up if yours eyes are -4 or -5 ?

cascott

Good Evening Folks,
I having playing with the idea of laser treatment. I had a consultation with Optical Express last year, but found them to be very expensive and not really organised, which really put me off.
Well, I am going for it, I am going for the Intralase Lasik & Wavefront. Has anyone ever gone to Optimax in Newcastle?
Why do they say it is better to have the Wavefront first and then Intralase?
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

garryhq

Hi Cascott,
Intralase (sometimes called Femtosecond) is the method used to cut the flap by laser - smooth and accurate rather than mechanical blade which may cause irregular thickness and rough edges etc..
http://www.optimax.co.uk/Default.aspx?page=7349&adcode=googleppc&OrgAdCode=googleppc&WT.srch=1
Wavefront is currently the finset grade laser which can be configured to map & track your eyes and correct your eyesight exactly when treating the surface beneath the flap.
http://www.optimax.co.uk/Default.aspx?page=6874

I had Intralase and Wavefront - both at additional cost but, in my opinion, well worth the money.
Due to my retreatment I have been visiting Optimax (Liverpool) on a monthly basis for 51 weeks - a 120 mile round trip!! (I almost made it to their Xmas staff party!) So the cost of travelling to the clinic for check ups must also be taken into account.
But I have absolutely no regrets and now have plano 20/20 vision. I would recommend the Liverpool clinic to everyone. See my previous posts in this thread for more info.
Garryhq

cascott wrote: »

Good Evening Folks,
I having playing with the idea of laser treatment. I had a consultation with Optical Express last year, but found them to be very expensive and not really organised, which really put me off.
Well, I am going for it, I am going for the Intralase Lasik & Wavefront. Has anyone ever gone to Optimax in Newcastle?
Why do they say it is better to have the Wavefront first and then Intralase?
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.