Laser Eye Surgery Cost Cutting Tips

I was lucky to be one of the first people to take up the offer of cheaper laser eye surgery on ebay. I had the treatment December 2004 and it was fantastic. I paid £895 for both eyes and was booked in within 2 weeks to have it done.

I highly recommend the whole thing, buying over ebay and having the laser eye surgery. :T

This is a re-post of my first post in another thread on this subject.


I've had a quick look through the posts, and they all seem pretty positive, but I would advise you to think again - THERE CAN BE MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS!

I know, because I had the operation and have complications that have been the bane of my life for over 10 years now.

I've not checked recently, but the USA, home of cosmetic surgery, would not allow this operation because they regarded it as too risky. Admittedly safety has improved, but at the expense of people like myself. Do you fancy paying to be a medical guinea pig?

Look at the complications listed on https://www.lasermyeye.org.

In Feb '05, why did Which?, publish an article saying:

"Two well-respected clinics that do divulge details have told us that about 5 per cent of people who undergo Lasik treatment experience complications."?

This means if you have both eyes done, you have a 1 in 10 chance of having complications!

I hope I'm not infringing copyright by quoting the Which? conclusion.

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"Laser eye surgery is a great development but it's not risk free. Our research shows that some clinics aren't giving patients the information they need to make informed choices.

We want the government to enforce the tougher standards recommended by the parliamentary inquiry. And we'd like all clinics to publish details of their complication rates, with information monitored by an independent body. We also want sanctions, to deter clinics from giving misleading advice or unsuitable treatment.

Until then, patients must protect themselves. Always ask for the surgeon's track record and whether there's anything in your medical history that makes you unsuitable for laser treatment."

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I wouldn't put much store in the a positive answer from the last quesion. From dealing with some of the top UK eye surgeons over the last 10 years, my opinion is that the unfortunate minority that have complications are considered a price the surgeons are willing to pay to exploit this great 'once-in-a-lifetime' moneymaking oportunity placed in front of a previously academic group of experts.

I read one poster on this board talk about insurance. If you're considering having this operation, ask the company how much their insurance premiums are increasing year on year. Premiums are going through the roof because of claims.

You can get many enthusiastic recommendations from people who have had successful operations, and are very happy with the results. To my mind, this is like asking someone who's survived a game of Russian Roulette if the game is safe, and getting the answer 'Yes, look at me, I played and I survived!'.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

- to see the old post and the subsequent discussion, go to : http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=89895&page=4

johnfrith wrote:

This is a re-post of my first post in another thread on this subject.


I've had a quick look through the posts, and they all seem pretty positive, but I would advise you to think again - THERE CAN BE MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS!

I know, because I had the operation and have complications that have been the bane of my life for over 10 years now.

I've not checked recently, but the USA, home of cosmetic surgery, would not allow this operation because they regarded it as too risky. Admittedly safety has improved, but at the expense of people like myself. Do you fancy paying to be a medical guinea pig?

Look at the complications listed on www.lasermyeye.org.

In Feb '05, why did Which?, publish an article saying:

"Two well-respected clinics that do divulge details have told us that about 5 per cent of people who undergo Lasik treatment experience complications."?

This means if you have both eyes done, you have a 1 in 10 chance of having complications!

I hope I'm not infringing copyright by quoting the Which? conclusion.

---

"Laser eye surgery is a great development but it's not risk free. Our research shows that some clinics aren't giving patients the information they need to make informed choices.

We want the government to enforce the tougher standards recommended by the parliamentary inquiry. And we'd like all clinics to publish details of their complication rates, with information monitored by an independent body. We also want sanctions, to deter clinics from giving misleading advice or unsuitable treatment.

Until then, patients must protect themselves. Always ask for the surgeon's track record and whether there's anything in your medical history that makes you unsuitable for laser treatment."

---

I wouldn't put much store in the a positive answer from the last quesion. From dealing with some of the top UK eye surgeons over the last 10 years, my opinion is that the unfortunate minority that have complications are considered a price the surgeons are willing to pay to exploit this great 'once-in-a-lifetime' moneymaking oportunity placed in front of a previously academic group of experts.

I read one poster on this board talk about insurance. If you're considering having this operation, ask the company how much their insurance premiums are increasing year on year. Premiums are going through the roof because of claims.

You can get many enthusiastic recommendations from people who have had successful operations, and are very happy with the results. To my mind, this is like asking someone who's survived a game of Russian Roulette if the game is safe, and getting the answer 'Yes, look at me, I played and I survived!'.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

- to see the old post and the subsequent discussion, go to : http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=89895&page=4

Thanky ou for this post, I was considering having it done in the USA as my cousin who was as blind as a bat had hers done and she is living a new life without glasses and contacts.

But yes there will always be a risk involved that has to be considered.

Following tips on the chat forum I investigated laser surgery on E-Bay and was fortunate to find that Optimax were offering treatment on both eyes for £795. The listing on E-Bay is packed with useful questions from potential customers and direct and honest replies from the Optimax M.D. Russell Ambrose. I trawled through the hundreds of feedback comments from customers who had pursued laser treatment and found that extremely useful when making my mind up. I was also influenced by a friend who was treated very sucessfully by Optimax in Liverpool last year. I booked a consultation in Bristol but was thrown off-balance when I was told that I was unsuitable for the posh/quick Lasik treatment but could have epi-lasek treatment; more painful in recovery and takes longer to achieve the final result. I had a -5.5 in one eye and -6.0 in the other and really felt that I wanted to go ahead so had epi-lasek 3 weeks ago. The op was painless but the recovery was unbelievably painful, I was in sheer agony for 24 hours, I couldn't open my eyes and just lay in a darkened room. Once the pain eased it was replaced by discomfort and within 48 hours the eyes felt a bit gritty but not painful. I was able to drive within 7 days and experienced a significant improvement in my sight on a daily basis during the first week however it will be 3-6 months before the final result is known as the eyes are still healing.

I opted to have an add-on to the basic surgery called Wavefront which was an extra £150 per eye. the total cost of treatment was £1095.

I was very pleased with the cost of treatment, I was very pleased with the Doctor who did the treatment I was very impressed by the customer service on the national helpline but I am sorry to say that the customer service and care at the Bristol Branch was appalling. Optimax may pile high and sell cheap but I found the process of having an operation on my eyes quite traumatic. I would have happily paid more to have been given an efficient, professional and courteous service by the staff at the clinic. I was sent home unable to open my eyes with a plastic bag full of medication and an A4 sheet of instructions. Some of the medicines were not labelled and it involved a lengthy process of elimination (during which time I was screaming for pain relief) for someone to work out which drugs were which and how and when they were to be administered.

I must stress that I felt complete confidence in the Doctor who did the the operation and the operation proceedure was superb.

I was warned by the Doctor both at consultaion and treatment that I would experience extreme pain. She was very honest and told me it would be very bad but she also told me that I would get through it. I was prepared for pain and was acutely aware of the risks of the operation and the potential side effects. You have to demonstrate an understanding of all the risks and potential problems on more than one occasion and are required to do a 'test' (tick boxes) before the operation to prove that you understand. At any time you can change your mind and are never under any pressure to go through with it. You are never sold the benefits of laser treatment by anyone at the clinic. The corporate 'marketing' is just to get you to the clinic once you are there you are on your own in terms of deciding whether laser surgery is right for you. Optimax provide you with the facts and the expertise and leave it to you to decide.

ps: Optimax have a complaints proceedure which I will be using to bring thier attention to failings at the Bristol clinic.