Great Laser Eye Surgery Hunt

acmj

Had surgery in Optical Express London at the weekend. Had 20/20 vision within 24 hours. Minor discomfort and still some healing to take place but overall very happy. Me and my wife had it done. Optical Express £2,500 for the 2 of us. Ultralase wanted £6,000. An incredible unjustifable difference.

georgep_3

Having read right the way through this post, I would like to make some comments.

1) Don't take risks with your eyes without knowing what you are doing. There are risks with having surgery and also disadvantages. Get a second and third opinion before committing. Make use of free consultations, but also make sure that wherever, you go, you speak with the actual surgeon before deciding. That may mean paying, but your eyes are worth it.
2) If your consultation does not include measurement of cornea thickness, pressure within the eye, pupil dilation with visual inspection, prescription check, discussion of medical history (esp dry eye related conditions) and a frank assessment of the risks and prognosis then don't go for that clinic - whatever the price.
3) Generally you get what you pay for - establish what the package includes, the criteria for enhancement if required and also the possibility of enhancement if needed. Post operative checkups can prove expensive if not included.
4) The cost of performing these operations is dominated by the cost of the lasers. State of the art lasers cost an awful lot and need to be paid for. They can be repaid by using for a long time, until they are old hat, cramming in as many patients as possible or asking the patients to pay more. Assess the policy of whoever you are considering and decide whether it suits you. Going abroad for treatment does not reduce the cost of the laser so consider the age/sophistication of the equipment etc before commiting. Although equipment deficiencies can be overcome by a skilled surgeon, I would rather have a skilled surgeon and the best laser for the job. Also, if you get treated abroad where and who do you go to if you have problems? I have a 24 hour telephone line answered by specialist doctors, who would you get?
5) Low cost treatment centres are financially feasible because they make sure that the lasers are fully utilised and attempt to cream off the easier cases to deal with. With more competition, they are being pressured to take on more complex cases.
6) If you are considering eye surgery for job purposes, talk to your prospective employers first. Some will not accept anybody who has had surgery. Others will only accept certain procedures and, even then, require a considerable waiting time before accepting applications.

If you have straightforward problems (limited myopia, minimal astigmatism, normal pupils/cornea) then consider a cheapie high street chain. Otherwise, go for someone and somewhere with the experience and ability to take on difficult cases.

Mention has been made of old age presbyopia and the disadvantages of correcting myopia when younger. Unless you only have mild myopia, you will still need two pairs of glasses, varifocals etc. I had moderate myopia at -6 and -7 with -1.25 of astigmatism in both eyes. At 54, I found that I could no longer focus for reading with my standard glasses, that I could not get on with varifocals so had separate reading glasses. Unfortunately the transition point between the two pairs was exactly where I normally viewed the computer screen. I decided that good long distance plus cheap reading glassess was the ideal and opted for laser surgery. That was over a month ago. I am now 20/10 and 20/12 (better than 20/20). Better still, my near vision has improved to the point where I no longer need reading glasses for most work.

I consulted two major High St chains and probably the best centre in the country (Centre for Sight) before deciding. Neither of the two chains performed a detailed consultation nor discussed the risks properly. I subsequently found out that had I proceeded with one recommendation, my left eye would have been left seriously weakened. I paid out £3950 for both eyes, the knowledge that the work was being done at the best centre in the country by a surgeon with a reputation for being able to correct other surgeons mistakes. I don't regret a penny of it and would discourage anybody from selecting a clinic on the basis of price alone.

fergee

I was very dubious about getting my eyes treated as I had severe astigmatism (-5.25) in both eyes, as some places say it can not be treated and others say that it can. I did however pay for the consultation in optimax in Manchester and I had the treatment last tuesday. The cost was £1190 for the lasik treatment on both eyes (12 months interest free) as I had mentioned the ebay price, and they said as i had mentioned the ebay advert I could have it at the same price.

I'm now enjoying being without my glasses, and driving in particular is a joy. I would however like to say that if you play contact sport like I do (rugby) you will have to stop for between 3-6 months. I would also like to mention that while I was there several people were in for retreatment, this was due to the fact that they had been undertreated at the initial consultation (it is alwasy better to be undertreated than over treated)
At optimax if you have to be retreated it is free!!!

fergee

I was very dubious about getting my eyes treated as I had severe astigmatism (-5.25) in both eyes, as some places say it can not be treated and others say that it can. I did however pay for the consultation in optimax in Manchester and I had the treatment last tuesday. The cost was £1190 for the lasik treatment on both eyes (12 months interest free) as I had mentioned the ebay price, and they said as i had mentioned the ebay advert I could have it at the same price.

I'm now enjoying being without my glasses, and driving in particular is a joy. I would however like to say that if you play contact sport like I do (rugby) you :xmassign: will have to stop for between 3-6 months. I would also like to mention that while I was there several people were in for retreatment, this was due to the fact that they had been undertreated at the initial consultation (it is alwasy better to be undertreated than over treated)
At optimax if you have to be retreated it is free!!! :xmassign:

Rosie123

storri wrote:

I have to comment and disagree here - one of the reasons that Accuvision could/can treat thinner corneas is that not all lasers are the exactly the same. The Accuvision laser is/was (i was treated a couple of years ago) a more precise laser than some other clinics had available and therefore could reshape the cornea to what was needed with less "burn-depth" for want of a better word.

I was shown details of the different laser profiles and how the burn patterns overlap to achieve the end result. If you can imagine narrow sine wave shapes overlapping (accuvision laser) compared to wider sine waves overlapping (some other clinics) to create an even surface you'll understand what I mean. Maybe....

The reason my first consultation was at Accuvision was precisely because their laser took less tissue and they stated that thinnish corneas would not be a problem. But, in fact, my corneas are so thin that any surgery with any laser would be highly damamging if not dangerous!!

tomstickland

"Cheap" and "laser eye surgery" are not words that I'd put together myself. I work with lasers, and using our knowledge of their performance and reliability, I'd not go anywhere near one for eye surgery personally. Also read the small print (with your glasses on) and you'll see that, often, they don't actually guarantee to improve your sight that much. Also see media stories about problems with a very well known laser supllier.

georgep_3

fergee

I'm now enjoying being without my glasses, and driving in particular is a joy. I would however like to say that if you play contact sport like I do (rugby) you will have to stop for between 3-6 months

If you had lasik (not Lasek) then forget contact sports! Your surgeon either did not ask or conveniently forgot to tell you. The lasik flap never fully heals and is not recommended for anybody who plays contact sports or may hit their eye as part of their job.
In the first couple of months, only the edge of the lasik flap heals - the epithelial layer first, then down through to the stromal bed. At this stage there is the possibility of the epithelial cells growing under the flap and the flap may need to be raised to clear them. Over the next few months fibres (keratocytans?) grow between the flap and the bed and secure the main body of the flap. This is nowhere near as strong as the original eye or a lasek treated eye. Although the majority of healing occurs within a year, it takes two years before maximum strength is achieved. Apologies for any spelling mistakes or simplifications - I am not medically qualified, but this information was made freely available to me when deciding whether to go forward and for which treatment.

georgep_3

tomstickland

"Cheap" and "laser eye surgery" are not words that I'd put together myself. I work with lasers, and using our knowledge of their performance and reliability, I'd not go anywhere near one for eye surgery personally. Also read the small print (with your glasses on) and you'll see that, often, they don't actually guarantee to improve your sight that much. Also see media stories about problems with a very well known laser supllier.

I agree that "cheap" and "laser surgery" are not compatible unless you put a very low value on your eyes. If you were in a hazardous job and needed to insure your eyes, how much would you insure them for? How does £1000 saving against the risk of vision loss compare? The original post was quite irresponsible in promoting low cost in this area.
Your experience in lasers supports one of my earlier points. It takes a lot of maintenance and cross checks to keep a laser functioning repeatability and reliably. In a low cost centre, this is one of the economies.
Most reputable centres are extremely happy if you finally get better vision than you currently have with glasses and should tell you that at any consultation. They may target better but don't expect it as a matter of course. They should also advise of some of the potential disadvantages - night vision, contrast sensitivity, inability to adjust etc

I have to comment and disagree here - one of the reasons that Accuvision could/can treat thinner corneas is that not all lasers are the exactly the same. The Accuvision laser is/was (i was treated a couple of years ago) a more precise laser than some other clinics had available and therefore could reshape the cornea to what was needed with less "burn-depth" for want of a better word.

I was shown details of the different laser profiles and how the burn patterns overlap to achieve the end result. If you can imagine narrow sine wave shapes overlapping (accuvision laser) compared to wider sine waves overlapping (some other clinics) to create an even surface you'll understand what I mean. Maybe....

The most accurate profiles are achieved using a combination of "small" and "large" spot sizes, varying the burn time and using a pseudo random pattern to avoid overstressing any one area. This is typical of the laser requirement for wavefront treatments. If a clinic offers true wavefront (ask to see your profile to make sure) then it will have a suitable laser.

richardw

I'd go to the place where they sort out the damage that the inexperienced have inflicted on the unsuspecting public.

georgep_3

richardw wrote:

I'd go to the place where they sort out the damage that the inexperienced have inflicted on the unsuspecting public.

Then you have a choice of two places in the UK:-
Centre for Sight, Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead
Moorfields Eye Hospital

Centre for Sight is currently the only clinic in the UK to offer laser flap cutting (rather than using a conventional blade)