Laser Eye Surgery Cost Cutting Tips

Stonedofmoo

Hi all

Update #2

I had my second consultation at Optimax on Saturday in Southampton. For those that saw my previous post I was already aware I was suitable for Lasik following my Optical Express appointment on Tuesday, I'm visiting the three laser surgery providers in my area to see what they are like, and to reach the best price.

So Optimax were also impressive. Once again friendly staff and a nice atmosphere. I felt their Optometrist took more time over answering questions and being transparent on the risks. He talked me through everything carefully, and used a computer to demonstrate the surgery and what it was doing to my eye.
OE kinda rattled through this aspect with a cheesy video so top marks for Optimax.

I felt confident I would get good treatment with Optimax and so we reach the important part on these forums - the price.
So they came in straight away at £3380 which was significantly cheaper than OE who quoted £4800 for their best treatment, also to sweeten the deal they were prepared to knock £500 off the price if I booked for the 29th January which is a week away bringing the price down to £2880. I ignored the date to be honest as that's an obvious sales ploy to get me to sign up immediately and told them I was shopping around.

So I know immediately that Optimax can and will go down to £2880 and as I travelled home, they left a further message saying they had spoken to their manager and they would offer a further £100 discount on any competitors next best offer.

I need to speak to OE now as their quote looks ridiculous compared to the competition. I also have managed to book an appointment at the third option in my area which is Optegra this afternoon which came up as a last minute cancellation on Saturday. I'll see what they are like and then make a decision.

I'll keep you all updated.

Chris

Stonedofmoo

Hi guys

Been a while since I updated with my progress. So events have developed fast.
Firstly I made my third and final appointment at local eye care hospital Optegra. I knew from their website that their treatment was priced at £3600 which was pricey, but I'd also discovered they have a price match guarantee in their T&Cs (which have some conditions, so read them first).

I was very pleased with my appointment at Optegra. They appeared a very professional organisation and the staff, and appearance was classy and reassuring. It's also apparent they deal with far more than simple laser surgery and one other thing which may be small, but they have parking on site!! (The other's didn't)

You have a consultation with the actual surgeon who will carry out your surgery and while I wont mention names, he came across as experienced and professional. Interestingly he works at Southampton General hospital, and runs his own business, but chooses to consult for Optegra as well. He claims he likes the company, equipment and how they operate.

In essence I liked everything I saw, but chatting to his PA for booking she wasn't certain they would price match against Optimax or Optical Express because her view was that being a hospital Optegra offers a level of service that the other two do not

The following day I got a call from Optimax and a lovely lady basically wasted no time in bringing down the price they had quoted on Saturday. I told her straight that I was looking for value for money, and intended to get the best quote, and to save time she simply went and spoke to her manager and came back with a fantastic quote below £2500. I was really pleased with this, not only did it show good faith from them, it saved lot's of hassle.

It's a good thing Optimax did that because I got her quote in writing and then called Optical Express and was surprised to be told that Optical Express "have a policy of not price matching" which is odd as this thread indicates otherwise.

Their price of £4800 stands, and while they could offer a few hundred off via vouchers and special offers that would be as low as they go. Asking why they were so expensive I was given some sales nonsense tbh, with their service compared to that of a rolls royce, and Optimax a nissan micra as well as statements like their consultants were the best in the country, and they paid them a lot of money to keep that talent in house, plus their equipment was the very best. All of this was used to explain why their surgery cost literally double!

Now you can decide for yourself if that's true or not when you see them, but frankly I wasn't impressed with that sales pitch and it didn't add up. I liked the people I met at OE but to be honest having met the staff at the other two sites it was actually OE's pitch and consultation which was the weakest and on reflection very rushed. Their sales pitch at the end was just silly and unnecessary and I didn't like the way they kept trying to cast the others in a bad light. Neither Optimax or Optegra had tried such tactics, and simply left it for me to make up my own mind and see where I felt most comfortable

Finally Optical Expresses refusal to consider price matching at any level cost them my business. Perhaps other branches give a different experience, so keep an open mind.

So there I was all set to go to Optimax when I thought I would pitch to Optegra and see if they would price match with Optimax. I didn't hold out hope, and truth be told I would happily have gone to either one of them, but Optegra got the nod for me just because geographically it's far closer to where I live which makes it easier.

Anyhow the PA at Optegra said she would need to speak to her manager, and to my surprise came back today and said they would be able to price match with Optimax which was amazing news as Optegra is perfect for me.

Now you're probably wondering what that price was, and sorry to tease but I'll hold that back until I've had the surgery but I will say it was less than £2500, and my eyes are roughly -4.25 in each with pretty bad astigmatisms.
Needless to say I was happy with the price and very happy with both Optegra and Optimax.
I liked both and would happily go with either one.

One thing I will say is my experiences clearly show it is worth trying them all in your area. OK it's bit of hassle, but it's an expensive surgery and those quotes keep tumbling once they know you are going to play the game.
I know a couple of people who have had laser surgery and required far less correction than I need, and both of them paid £500-600+ more than I am because they didn't think to haggle. If they had needed my level of correction it looks like they could have paid £1000 more than they needed too.

Also I'm also tempted to call another branch of Optical Express and see if they continue the company line of they don't price match. It seems unlikely,after all there's plenty of happy OE customers in this thread,and with this being the MSE forums I doubt they all handed over nearly £5k!!

Anyhow I'll update again once I'm done, gotta wait until March for the surgery due to my own commitments. Good luck!

Rian

I got an independent check and after careful consideration I decided laser is not for me. You only get one set of eyes and there is always some risk. Good luck Chris I hope it all goes well.

MrsMopnot

Can’t believe people are more concerned about the cost than the risks :eek:

Looks like an advertising fest on these pages - especially for Optimax and Optical Express.

I recommend you google OERML & Sasha Rodoy before putting your eyes in the hands of any of these surgeons!

Stonedofmoo

Actually I'm glad that last post popped up, reminded me to finish my entries.

So I had my Lasik surgery at Optegra a couple of weeks back and everything went brilliantly. No pain whatsoever, and 48 hours later I was back at work with vision comparable to my glasses before.

I cannot say what other high street brands or hospitals are like, but for me Optegra were the right choice and I'll be adding my name to their excellent trustpilot scores.

At the end of the day I would agree with the comment about about the costs. Getting the right surgeon is important and everyone needs to make that choice for themselves; but at the same time don't be a sucker either. All these places charge a lot of money because they know people will convince themselves they need to pay the most money to get the best surgery.

Optegra's standard price for my surgery is around £3600. I haggled and got them down to £2390 by using their price match guarantee against my Optimax quote which I was very happy with. Don't think they are making a loss at that price or they wouldn't have done it.

Their Hampshire hospital is clean and everything felt first rate. Worth noting is Optegra is where Bupa and private health care firms send their patients so this isn't so mickey mouse operation. My surgeon is a consultant for them and also works at Southampton general and has his own business in the field so we're not talking some amateur. He told me he consults for Optegra because he likes how they work and the equipment they use is of a high standard.

2 weeks on my vision is tremendous. It's so strange waking up and not reaching for glasses. At my one week check up I had a prescription of 0.00 (no correct needed) in one eye, and 0.25 on the other which considering my very high prescription before is amazing.

It's early days but at this stage I have no regrets. I've just booked a trip to center parcs later this year, and I cannot wait to go into the pool with the kids and be able to see everything that's going on with 20/20 vision - amazing after 25 years of terrible eye sight.

Good luck to anyone else that considers getting their eyes done

Chris

britgal

I didn't find a way to actively save money, but I can say it was the best thing I have done!

Stonedofmoo

Just had my final check up, end result is even better than I could possible have dreamed of, as I can now unaided just about make out the very smallest line of text in a sight test meaning I have phenomenal acuity, rated at 20/13 vision.

So happy with how everything went and was glad I made the decision to go ahead!

MrsMopnot

Be warned - BBC Radio 4 'You & Yours' broadcast details today that Optical Express are refusing lifetime aftercare & giving only 12 months guarantee on major eye surgery!!

Google OERML for details and do serious research before you give your money to Optical Express :exclamati

matt075

Hello!
Can anyone recommend a cheap clinic in Europe that offers lasik eye surgery? I´m planning to go there soon and would like to get my eyes fixed as well. I found some on Medihub and Whatclinic but they both have a really narrow range of clinics.

Rubyred1011

:T:THi just about to go ahead next week with O E for £4200 when I discovered this forum. I will definitely be doing more research as regards price and results before I sign on the dotted line. I'm not too shy to haggle whilst not necessarily looking for cheap. Your eyesight is your eyesight. Thank you so much Chris reading your invaluable information has made me cancel my appointment until I'm happy I'm in the right place and I don't think O E is it.