steve McCulloch

I see there have been a few threads in this area, but the only detailed one was over a year ago and John Banks gave a link to a useful USA thread

I've been thinking of the operation for a number of years. I went to Optimax about a year ago - but in their consultation they did not instil me with any confidence in them at all - then there have been the 'horror' stories on TV about the Boots eye surgery in Watchdog - pretty much saying dont go there............

I'm read some of the literature ralating to some of the various risks, etc and am totally unconcerned about costs - if I knew that say £10k would buy me more certaintly then I would not think twice - but that is not how it works - I just want to get rid of glasses for the convenience factor - not to save money.........

Given that it has now been 5 years since Lasik came about in 1998 there must be a lot of people who have now had the operation and must have a few comments.

The most common complaints I've heard have been that:

1. The persons required 2 ops to get the correct vision level - if this does not lead to lifetime complications I'm not bothered - also if they get me to say -05 to -1 (I'm -5) without any complications I'd b pretty chuffed anyway.........

2. Night time vision. Mine and a lot of peoples vision is pretty poor at night - I know a number of people with 'halo' vision - I think that would drive me insane!......... but at least I know that this is a risk. I do wonder if with larger than average size pupils in dim light whether I'm at a signficantly increased risk of complications - Optimax stated that my Pupil size was 'borderline' - which hardly instills me with confidence

3. Dry eye problems. I currently cannot wear contact lenses because my eyes dry up too quickly - I cant really find anything in the Lasik literature that talks about this - whether this would have any bearing on the success or otherwise of an operation

I'm tying to find some of the best clinics - money irrelevant.......

I'm still wondering if I should hold out a couple more years!

S55 HOT

You have the same logic as me - don't mess around for the sake of a few quid - it's your eyesight !

My wife had hers done last year & I did a load of research - ultimately it's a manual operation, so you want someone who knows their stuff - we chose Laser Vision because Keith Williams seems to be on of (if not the) top blokes around & he's been doing this stuff for years.

Yes you can save cash by going to Boots or Omtimax or the like, but you don't know who you're getting.

Cost was £1500 per eye IIRC. My wife had an awkward prescription - long sighted with astigmatism - there was a big improvement, but it was not 100% successful the first time so they performed a second op free.

Staff are great, facilities are A1 - I would totally reccomend them.

Al

Scooby Snacks 23

I've been thinking about this for a while now too. I'm -5.5 in both eyes, but I was always told that because of my prescription, surgery would not actually fix it, but just make it better (i.e. from -5.5 to -2.0 or even -1.0).

That would mean that I still need to wear contact lenses/glasses, so it doesn't eliminate the problem altogether.

I've heard the horror stories you refer to also, and bearing in mind the ops still a relatively new procedure, we still don't know of the long term effects.

I'm holding out for a few more years before I commit.

Good luck with any decision you make Steve!

Pete Croney

My missus had it done last year by Boots in Regent St, London. Cost £2400, was done right first time and she now has excellent sight. She was getting bad headaches, hence wanting it done and has barely had one since it was done.

Customer care throughout was superb.

She had bad stigmatism in one and mild in the other.

Katana

Meh go to Blackpool or Southend. Put 20p in the telescope thingy and look directly at the sun. Much cheaper tham Lasik..

Gordo

I looked into this a couple of years ago and decided it sounded toooooo scary to risk my eyes.

I'm -5.0 and -6.0 and was told that the likelihood was that I'd end up still having to wear glasses and there was a reasonable chance of hitting problems. The biggest problem was apparently the chance of scarring - many people report instant results (which are the results normally quoted!) but then suffer serious degradation as scar tissue builds up.

I didn't trust the companies doing the ops so paid for a specialist consultation with a private eye specialist. He strongly recommended that I don't go anywhere near this as yet unproven, relatively inaccurate treatment (it's hard to be extremely accurate when you need to keep the eye still). Long term affects are still unknown.

I decided that the risk of damaging my vision/ suffering other affects such as headaches etc (most of which are irreversible) was too great to take the risk.

For info, another treatment doing the rounds is too insert a false lens on top of your existing one. The downer here is that your eye never heals once cut - so if you do sport (or risk being punched when drunk!) you could lose the front of your eye which is, in effect, never properly attached because of the cut.

Sobering stuff - stick to the glasses would be my advice!

G

Pete Croney

Gordo

Either your eye never heals, or it does and scar tissue could build up, it has to be one or the other, not both.

Everyone I know that has had it done (only 4 people) has had a perfect job done and I've never heard of anyone getting scar tissue growth. If my eyes were bad I would jump at having this done, having seen whats involved and how it improves the quality of your life.

boxst

Hello

My friend has had this done (in Los Angeles). Everything went well, but the procedure freaked me a little too much:

They clamp open your eye, spray in stuff to numb the eyes, "flip back" the cornea by cutting, laser away and then put the cornea back where it heals.

Off to run around a bit to shake off the thought of that. Yuck.

(wimp, I know)

Steve.

Old_Fart

http://www.moorfields.org.uk/Home
I'd get in touch with these people, I've heard great things about them. Not very glamorous, but some of the best consultants/surgeons in England, and state risks in a very straightforward and honest manner.
Chuck

seejay555

My wife and I both had it done 18 months ago at Ultralase in Birmingham. It has (so far) been excellent - no problems to report, and great sight. Of course there are risks involved and they take great care to point them all out to you and get you to sign one of the longest disclaimers I've ever seen (and as a lawyer I've seen some!!!).
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the treatment or Ultralase themselves. Can't quite say why but somehow felt more confident with them than with Optimax.
Good luck.
Chris.

steve McCulloch

Thanks

That gives me 3 to look at - LaserVision, Ultralase and Moorfields - I know that Moorfields has been mentioned before

Have thought also about having this done in the States - dont really know anyone who I work with that wants to risk it!

Vtec virgin

My mrs is a dispensing optician and used to work for Boots, she left as they asked her to work in the laser clinics..

Basically as far as she is concerned laser surgery is a very bad thing, if you are lucky you will get 8yrs of "improved eyesight" and after that things go down hill rapidly and can lead to some very nasty complications.

She gets an offical optometery mag. from the FBDO and it's always full of horror stories and yet another optom. big wig saying that it's a bad thing. The basic problem is that nobody has done any long term test's of the various methods used as such there is no hard evidence proving any long term success !! Do you want to be a g.pig with your eyes !!

If i were you i would leave well alone for now matey,

Shame though, i'd like it done too. As soon as thy can prove it works !!

Phill

Little Miss WRX

My prescription has been the same for nearly 2 years....which is the minimum I believe before you get considered?
So I am damn close to being able to do it, but at -8.0 in both eyes...is that too short sighted?
I dislike wearing glasses and it is getting harder to wear contact lenses for long periods of time recently. :-/

Old_Fart

'chelle I'm the same -8 and I've been told to expect to still wear glasses after treatment...ok the lenses will be thinner but I can't really see the point in doing it...also risks seem to be exagerated for big corrections (eg night vision degradation etc)
So i'm sticking with glasses/contacts and dreaming of waking up one day able to read the alarm clock
Rgds
Chuckster

Little Miss WRX

I dream the same dreams.

The glasses I have are extra, extra thin and light lenses - basically they look like a prescription for -2 which is great.
No more milk bottle bottom looking glasses! They did cost a lot, but I have had them for just under two years, so well worth it.

As you say though, just to be able to wake up and see the alarm clock instead of squinting whilst fumbling around the bedside table ina vain attempt to locate your glasses by feel would be brilliant.

I did wake up one day being able to see the alarm clock and thought my sight had miraculously got better.....until the gritty feeling appeared and it slowly dawned on me that I had forgotten to take my contact lenses out the previous night.

Pete Croney

Vtec

I read that the Russians invented this stuff and have been doing it since the 50s although the latest techniques have only become available with the accuracy modern lasers and their computer guiding.

No surgery is 100% reliable but this process seems pretty close. In America's medical envronment, companies would not get PL insurance cover if it was as dangerous as you are (your wife is)saying. A disclaimer means nothing if the company doing it knew it to be unsafe, unless you signed to say "I know that this will not work and I will go blind afterwards." I doubt even this would hold in the US.

daz748

I had mine done about 4 years ago had LASIK not LASER the procedure is different LASIK they create a flap and then laser your eye and the risk of scar tissue is about 1%, LASER the risk of scar tissue is about 10% I think. Had it done at the Bupa hospital in Leicester and it cost £1600 an eye, that included a guarantee that if for any reason you needed a second operation it would be done FOC. I could not see past my nose without my glasses before the operation and now have got 20/20 vision in one eye and almost 20/20 in the other, but I do know I'm lucky that it is that good. I work in a hospital and was talking to one of the consultants that does this procedure the other day and was told that there is a new method in the states were nothing touches your eye at all, this will be safer and get better results as with the LASIK method the most dangerous part is the cutting of the cornea which can crease, the new method your cornea will be cut with a laser so nothing will phisicaly touch your eye.
Sorry it's all a bit rushed but I'm just about to go home and the wife's waiting but if you want to e-mail me with any questions etc feel free.

Darren

Edited to correct spelling mistake otherwise youd think I can't see properly

[Edited by daz748 - 4/25/2003 4:56:28 PM]