Laser Eye Surgery
Discussion
Roger645 said:
I would, 968 was kind enough to offer advice for my wife's situation (thin cornea's)and we ended up seeing an excellent specialist with a fantastic outcome. The experience was chalk and cheese between seeing one of the high street outfits and a "real" surgeon.
Hi Roger645I had a look through the other thread refered to a bit earlier and gather that a lot of people recommend the Accuvision Clinic. So I'm gonna look into getting a consultation done there too. Then take it from there. Is this the clinic you ended up using?
Just thought I would do a quick update for anyone interested.
Having successfully had the surgery completed 7 weeks ago I am very happy. The only issues I am having right now is slightly dry eyes which I am using drops once a day which is of little inconveience. Driving at night isn't great either as lights appear to be brighter and have a sort of aura around them. I have had this since the operation but it has improved over the weeks, with my doctor saying it should be completly gone within 3months. Overall still very pleased with the outcome
Having successfully had the surgery completed 7 weeks ago I am very happy. The only issues I am having right now is slightly dry eyes which I am using drops once a day which is of little inconveience. Driving at night isn't great either as lights appear to be brighter and have a sort of aura around them. I have had this since the operation but it has improved over the weeks, with my doctor saying it should be completly gone within 3months. Overall still very pleased with the outcome
PaulCFC said:
Just thought I would do a quick update for anyone interested.
Having successfully had the surgery completed 7 weeks ago I am very happy. The only issues I am having right now is slightly dry eyes which I am using drops once a day which is of little inconveience. Driving at night isn't great either as lights appear to be brighter and have a sort of aura around them. I have had this since the operation but it has improved over the weeks, with my doctor saying it should be completly gone within 3months. Overall still very pleased with the outcome
This sounds like the issue I was told I would have. Having successfully had the surgery completed 7 weeks ago I am very happy. The only issues I am having right now is slightly dry eyes which I am using drops once a day which is of little inconveience. Driving at night isn't great either as lights appear to be brighter and have a sort of aura around them. I have had this since the operation but it has improved over the weeks, with my doctor saying it should be completly gone within 3months. Overall still very pleased with the outcome
Someone correct me if I am wrong but,
At night, your pupils are much larger as you focus harder. This means the pupil runs near where the op was performed and over the scar tissue effectively.
Id love to get it done, Who is it on this site who is a surgeon? I remember seeing it a while ago.
Megaflow said:
I have my own views on this, which I will get to in a minute. But I know somebody who had it done and he said it was just about the most painful thing you could imagine, and what made it wrose was knowing what was coming for the second one. Also, it doesn't last forever, so you will need it redone and some point in the future or glasses again. So IMO:
Pros:
+1Pros:
- You don't need glasses
- Hurts like hell
- Needs to be redone
- Costs the same as ~5 pairs glasses
- And the real killer for me, You only get one set of eyes vs infinate sets of glasses...
NorthDave said:
If anyone is Manchester / North West based I can highly recommend the Royal Eye Hospital. They did mine and were excellent.
Straight after surgery I had eyesight better than I ever had with glasses.
Hi Dave. Would you care to say to how much you paid via the eye hospital? I'm thinking of eye surgery soon and if I can go with a specialist rather than Optimax etc than that would be worth it as they are my eyes.Straight after surgery I had eyesight better than I ever had with glasses.
Thanks
I can't recall exactly but it definitely wasn't the cheapest, maybe £2500 all in? I had the most expensive options too which wont have helped. There was quite a few different ways I could have gone and they clearly laid out all the options.
When you speak to them though they make the others look like amateurs. Very professional and willing to spend as much time as you need discussing things.
When the others mess up they send their clients there which gave me lots of confidence.
When you speak to them though they make the others look like amateurs. Very professional and willing to spend as much time as you need discussing things.
When the others mess up they send their clients there which gave me lots of confidence.
I had my op yesterday at the Focus Clinic in Wimpole St,
On the day there was no time to be apprehensive as I ended up driving to the clinic as the trains were up the creek, I was going to go on my own but childcare became a last minute issue and it turned into a family day out.
At the clinic there were the usual
Pre-op checks, a fair bit of hanging around and then it was time for the op.
As the laser whirred over me face I felt a little like my weekly shop at Tesco, then it was drops in, eyelids stuck open and spread and keep looking at the green light.
Up to this point the whole experience was a doodle, the surgeon talked me through the process and unless you're particularly squeamish it shouldn't pose any problems.
The next stage was to slice my delicate eyeball and create the flap, the first eye was fine, I felt a little pressure for about 20 seconds, dead easy.
Then my eye was lasered, I'd say it's probably best to breathe through your mouth at this point, if you've ever singed the hairs on your arm? It's a similar smell...
Seconds later the surgeon was all done, and on to the next eye, now I don't know if I'm just a delicate flower but I found the pressure on the eye during the cutting stage too much and had to ask the surgeon to stop, I think he numbed it a bit more, then had another go.
I'd say on a pain scale of 1-10 it was a five, but on my eyeball. So it was a case of grit my teeth for 20 secs and go to my happy place.
After that it was a doddle, the surgeon said most people don't feel a thing and I was a 1 in 30 special case, which I thought was rather nice of him.
Post op was pretty standard, gritty eyes which I kept mostly closed for two hours while my wife drove us home through rush hour London and I tried to keep the nipper amused, not the best solution but better than getting a train home alone.
After a nap and a touch more anaesthetic my eyes felt like I'd gone on the razz & left contacts in overnight.
Now it's the day after and my eyes still feel a little bruised but my vision is excellent, just a little misty.
Yesterday I wasn't sure if I'd recommend the process to a friend or family member as it's not the most comfortable procedure, today I definitely would.
Cheers,
Dave
On the day there was no time to be apprehensive as I ended up driving to the clinic as the trains were up the creek, I was going to go on my own but childcare became a last minute issue and it turned into a family day out.
At the clinic there were the usual
Pre-op checks, a fair bit of hanging around and then it was time for the op.
As the laser whirred over me face I felt a little like my weekly shop at Tesco, then it was drops in, eyelids stuck open and spread and keep looking at the green light.
Up to this point the whole experience was a doodle, the surgeon talked me through the process and unless you're particularly squeamish it shouldn't pose any problems.
The next stage was to slice my delicate eyeball and create the flap, the first eye was fine, I felt a little pressure for about 20 seconds, dead easy.
Then my eye was lasered, I'd say it's probably best to breathe through your mouth at this point, if you've ever singed the hairs on your arm? It's a similar smell...
Seconds later the surgeon was all done, and on to the next eye, now I don't know if I'm just a delicate flower but I found the pressure on the eye during the cutting stage too much and had to ask the surgeon to stop, I think he numbed it a bit more, then had another go.
I'd say on a pain scale of 1-10 it was a five, but on my eyeball. So it was a case of grit my teeth for 20 secs and go to my happy place.
After that it was a doddle, the surgeon said most people don't feel a thing and I was a 1 in 30 special case, which I thought was rather nice of him.
Post op was pretty standard, gritty eyes which I kept mostly closed for two hours while my wife drove us home through rush hour London and I tried to keep the nipper amused, not the best solution but better than getting a train home alone.
After a nap and a touch more anaesthetic my eyes felt like I'd gone on the razz & left contacts in overnight.
Now it's the day after and my eyes still feel a little bruised but my vision is excellent, just a little misty.
Yesterday I wasn't sure if I'd recommend the process to a friend or family member as it's not the most comfortable procedure, today I definitely would.
Cheers,
Dave
Edited by DJFish on Thursday 10th May 09:58
I had this done some years ago.
Its been at least 4 years as I took zero percent finance out over three years and I can¡¦t actually remember when I stopped paying for it, but it was some time back! ƒº
The procedure was easy. Now bear in mind before this I couldn¡¦t put eye drops in without someone helping me as I if I put it in myself I just couldn¡¦t stop myself from blinking.
I remember having the numbing eye wash stuff put on and the final cleansing being the hardest part for me. I popped a few blood vessels where I was straining against the things which hold your eyes open.
The actual procedure was one using lasers to cut the flap it was more expensive but I felt better having that done than a miniature guillotine running across my eyes. Then the worst part is the smell as the laser does its thing. Afterwards you have to fight to not it itch your eyes and again using drops took me an age to get over the urge to blink when putting the drops in.
Now after years of having it done I would say I¡¦m not quite as 20/20 as when I first had it done, but its settled down to the point where I have better eyesight than some of my friends who don¡¦t need glasses officially and I sit in front of a monitor day in day out too.
I can¡¦t have it done again as there¡¦s not enough structure left to do any more lasering, but I¡¦m happy enough that for the foreseeable future (see what I did there?) I won¡¦t need glasses probably until old age takes effect.
I honestly have no regrets as I was mega short sighted for years and would say to anyone get yourself checked out and get it done. All going well its well worth it.
Its been at least 4 years as I took zero percent finance out over three years and I can¡¦t actually remember when I stopped paying for it, but it was some time back! ƒº
The procedure was easy. Now bear in mind before this I couldn¡¦t put eye drops in without someone helping me as I if I put it in myself I just couldn¡¦t stop myself from blinking.
I remember having the numbing eye wash stuff put on and the final cleansing being the hardest part for me. I popped a few blood vessels where I was straining against the things which hold your eyes open.
The actual procedure was one using lasers to cut the flap it was more expensive but I felt better having that done than a miniature guillotine running across my eyes. Then the worst part is the smell as the laser does its thing. Afterwards you have to fight to not it itch your eyes and again using drops took me an age to get over the urge to blink when putting the drops in.
Now after years of having it done I would say I¡¦m not quite as 20/20 as when I first had it done, but its settled down to the point where I have better eyesight than some of my friends who don¡¦t need glasses officially and I sit in front of a monitor day in day out too.
I can¡¦t have it done again as there¡¦s not enough structure left to do any more lasering, but I¡¦m happy enough that for the foreseeable future (see what I did there?) I won¡¦t need glasses probably until old age takes effect.
I honestly have no regrets as I was mega short sighted for years and would say to anyone get yourself checked out and get it done. All going well its well worth it.
DJFish said:
I had a successful op, and i'm glad I had it done!
I'm glad you had a successful Fish but the mistiness you talk of, I gather its not to bad if you can post on PH via a PC (or mobile)?Ive been following this thread with interest. I have just had another set of contact lenses ordered as my astigmatism has become slightly worse. To be honest I am now getting slightly fed up of contacts and glasses.
For those of you who know me, my Fiancee and I live in Austria and she is Hungarian. She says the opticians in Hungary are the same standard as the UK and any treatment would cost me the third of the price in the UK. Understandably I am very interested, if only so I dont have to poke my eyes twice a day!
However I am a little apprehensive, im as someone said earlier it is a case of 1set of eyes vs infinite glasses/contacts.
So a few questions:
1- How long did the procedure take, was it literally 20seconds for each eye?
2- I guess the bruising you speak of will vanish with time
3- Did they explain the "chances" of something going wrong?
Cheers
Darren
Edited by DarrenL on Thursday 3rd May 11:53
Darren,
I've just been for my 24hr check-up.
The mistyness is only very slight and I'm told is perfectly normal.
As is the slightly bruised feeling I'm experiencing.
To put it in perspective, last night I felt ok enough to watch a bit of tv 7 hrs after my op, although I was careful not to over do it.
I've been told that it may take up to a month for my eyes to completely settle, but I'm confident it may take less time as they already feel much better than they did this morning.
Obviously different surgeons will do things differently but I was only in the chair for about five minutes, half of that was spent in minor discomfort, no worse than a badly placed contact lense.
I'd say 25 seconds total of "ouch that hurts!" Nothing you can't handle but I'd prefer to know it was coming.
Then 4-5 hours of gritty eyes which is easily managed if the clinic is kind enough to supply you with extra anaesthetic (if they don't, ask for some).
And yes, risks were fully discussed in an open and upfront manner.
I've just been for my 24hr check-up.
The mistyness is only very slight and I'm told is perfectly normal.
As is the slightly bruised feeling I'm experiencing.
To put it in perspective, last night I felt ok enough to watch a bit of tv 7 hrs after my op, although I was careful not to over do it.
I've been told that it may take up to a month for my eyes to completely settle, but I'm confident it may take less time as they already feel much better than they did this morning.
Obviously different surgeons will do things differently but I was only in the chair for about five minutes, half of that was spent in minor discomfort, no worse than a badly placed contact lense.
I'd say 25 seconds total of "ouch that hurts!" Nothing you can't handle but I'd prefer to know it was coming.
Then 4-5 hours of gritty eyes which is easily managed if the clinic is kind enough to supply you with extra anaesthetic (if they don't, ask for some).
And yes, risks were fully discussed in an open and upfront manner.
I had a free thorough consultation for Lasik back in 2003 at Ultralase and my eyes were found to be unsuitable due to high eye pressure and large pupils.
In 2010 I thought I'd try another consultation at Optical Express, to see if anything had changed. My eyes (-2.50 in both right and left) were found to now be suitable (eye pressure was normal) and I was given the option of basic Lasik or Intralase/Wavefront, and I favoured the Intralase option to give the best possible chance of success. However I found Optical Express to be very pushy, they tried to get me to book a surgery date there and then, and when I did not there were constant follow up phone calls to try to convince me to book which really put me off. I decided I couldn't really afford it then anyway (was quoted about £2.5-£3k), but I can now, so I am looking into the process once again.
I have read the majority of the 66 page thread on laser surgery on here (not what I expected to find on a car forum!) and am more confused than ever about where to get it done. I am based in Kent, so the London clinics are an option, I like the idea of Moorfields due to their reputation, but I think they are very expensive, with the consultation alone something like £175. One of my friends had his eyes done at Optical Express (who seem to be the least favoured company on here) in Kingston, he went from -3.25 to better than 20/20 now.
I'm considering the Centre for Sight in East Grinstead at the moment who are fairly local and they seem to come highly recommended, I may at least book a consultation there to see if they think I'm suitable.
In 2010 I thought I'd try another consultation at Optical Express, to see if anything had changed. My eyes (-2.50 in both right and left) were found to now be suitable (eye pressure was normal) and I was given the option of basic Lasik or Intralase/Wavefront, and I favoured the Intralase option to give the best possible chance of success. However I found Optical Express to be very pushy, they tried to get me to book a surgery date there and then, and when I did not there were constant follow up phone calls to try to convince me to book which really put me off. I decided I couldn't really afford it then anyway (was quoted about £2.5-£3k), but I can now, so I am looking into the process once again.
I have read the majority of the 66 page thread on laser surgery on here (not what I expected to find on a car forum!) and am more confused than ever about where to get it done. I am based in Kent, so the London clinics are an option, I like the idea of Moorfields due to their reputation, but I think they are very expensive, with the consultation alone something like £175. One of my friends had his eyes done at Optical Express (who seem to be the least favoured company on here) in Kingston, he went from -3.25 to better than 20/20 now.
I'm considering the Centre for Sight in East Grinstead at the moment who are fairly local and they seem to come highly recommended, I may at least book a consultation there to see if they think I'm suitable.
Go and have a free consultation at Accuvision in Fulham. I had surgery with them 4 years ago and they were excellent. They recommended the treatment they thought would have the best outcome, no up-selling of wavefront or similar, and no pressure to go ahead at the time. They were also significantly cheaper than some of the prices I saw quoted by the high street clinics at the time. The outcome for me has been superb, with my vision completely sharp after having been -3.75.
Thanks for the suggestion, but I was a little put off Accuvision by the fact they use a microkeratome (a rotating blade) to cut the flap, rather than a laser. It seems it would require more skill for the surgeon to cut the flap with a blade than via a guided laser, though I'm sure it's fine in the majority of cases.
I've just been reading up on the Focus clinic, who seem to have excellent results, and use one of the newer lasers (WaveLight Allegretto Eye Q 400 Hz).
If anything the large choice of providers makes it harder to choose!
I've just been reading up on the Focus clinic, who seem to have excellent results, and use one of the newer lasers (WaveLight Allegretto Eye Q 400 Hz).
If anything the large choice of providers makes it harder to choose!
Lark said:
Thanks for the suggestion, but I was a little put off Accuvision by the fact they use a microkeratome (a rotating blade) to cut the flap, rather than a laser. It seems it would require more skill for the surgeon to cut the flap with a blade than via a guided laser, though I'm sure it's fine in the majority of cases.
I've just been reading up on the Focus clinic, who seem to have excellent results, and use one of the newer lasers (WaveLight Allegretto Eye Q 400 Hz).
If anything the large choice of providers makes it harder to choose!
It depends what procedure you have. I had one which didn't use a microkeratome, and didn't involve creating a flap. It had slightly longer recovery than LASIK, but leaves the structure of the cornea undisturbed.I've just been reading up on the Focus clinic, who seem to have excellent results, and use one of the newer lasers (WaveLight Allegretto Eye Q 400 Hz).
If anything the large choice of providers makes it harder to choose!
tank slapper said:
It depends what procedure you have. I had one which didn't use a microkeratome, and didn't involve creating a flap. It had slightly longer recovery than LASIK, but leaves the structure of the cornea undisturbed.
+1 for Accuvision. I had their trans-epi procedure 3 years ago which does not involve cutting a flap, it has a longer painful recovery period, but no flap worries and perfect vision now! No pain no gain...Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff