Has anybody here had this done or looking to have it done?
Mrs Pickers is looking into it but I could do with some “been there, done that” type knowledge or experiences.

A very good friend almost lost the sight in one eye (just over three years ago) and spent two weeks in hospital having eye drops administered every couple of hours. By the end he was almost in tears through lack of sleep being constantly woken night and day.

But 99% of people will have great things to say about it.

Keep thinking about it, and have no qualms in doing it – just every time the opportunity arises something else happens which demands immediate funds (i’d only ever go for the top notch treatment, I aint taking unnecessary risks with my eyes).

I know quite a few people who have had it done, and in every case its been a significant benefit – verging on life changing.

I’ve had -wonderful it is. I had the top notchy stuff done back in 2008, never looked back (not that i can’t) 😉 did cost me £3K though……

Probably the best non-bike related thing I’ve ever spent money on. I got mine done in a 2-for-1 deal for £600 years ago, in hindsight I probably should have done one eye at a time just in case and not automatically gone for the cheapest option :p It all went fine though and still a long way from needing glasses 7 years on (although my vision has declined a bit since the op).

Mostly good things then.
Possible stupid question alert. What’s the difference between the “top-notchy stuff” and the “two-for-one” type stuff? Does it just relate to the BUPA-shinyness of the hospital/surgery/shed where the job’s done? I don’t see how the actual op itself can vary much.

Very happy with mine, both done in one go in 2009, driving within a week and no problems since. My eyes were -4.50 and -3.75. I understand its a bit harder for long sightedness and extreme short sight.

I paid a fair bit for the op (3k); reason was i have been going to the same independent optometrist for eye checks, contact lenses etc for many years, and this was the clinic they had worked with for over 10 years and recommended. I trusted their judgement, and tbh i thought shopping around for the lowest price was a bit risky, given the ‘product’ i was looking to buy. I am sure that all places legitimately offering it are competent though and technology is developing fast.

Difference in procedure.

The £395 per eye stuff involves a rusty scalpal and pair of pliers*

Spend £3K and you get the latest laser treatment which reduces pain, likelyhood of complications and improves recovery time.

*poetic licence

Edit – a colleage had his wife and daughter done at teh same time. He visited a couple of clinics, got quotes for comparabe procedures, and haggled quite a bit off the price. He also did it via TopCashBack and got – you guessed it – cash back. But then he is Commercial Director!

Speaking as someone that can’t even contemplate contact lenses, I take my hat off to anyone with the nuts to go for laser eye treatment.
The price difference might be an indicator of how experienced the surgeon is and where he got his medical degree and specialist laser training from.
Don’t forget, you’re paying someone to shoot your eyeballs with them things Han Solo uses to kill stormtroopers. Probably not the time to base your decision on who has the lowest prices….

I had mine done 3 years ago with Optimax in Reading, their top treatment was on offer at £2k, it took about 10 minutes in total & I drove to work the following morning

And as FW say’s above, best non bike thing I’ve ever spent money on 🙂

I had it done 5 years ago and as a result lost vision in one eye for 2 years.

I got a disease called “Thygeson Superficial Punctate Keratitis” and as a result the cuts they made in my eye didn’t heal.

Had several operations to basically scrape the surface off my eye off with what appeared to just be sandpaper (ARARAGARGAGARGASRH!) in the hope each time that it would grow back normally. It didn’t.

Took steroids and a bazillion other drugs for years in an attempt to resolve it. Also had to clean my eye every hour with baby shampoo and hot pads which relieved the pain and irritation somewhat.

Oh and I couldn’t look at light as it hurt, so had to wear shades at all times. Which looks really silly when you’re a programmer 🙁

Eventually the disease cleared up and my vision returned.

I now have my eyesight back to 100%, but only if I’m wearing a bandage contact lens which smooths the scarred surface of my eye.

The disease still flares up if I’ve got a cold or something, but fingers crossed it’s gone for good.

TLDR: Worst mistake of my life, you’ll probably be fine, but why gamble with your eyes?

Yep, had it done 3 years ago, wavefront LASIK, absolutely brilliant, 24hrs of pain and that was it.

I went for the consultation at vision express and they kept sending me marketing info and calling, I wasn’t ready to commit, eventually a lass phoned me on a Thursday and said, if I went in on Saturday I could have their most expensive treatment for half price. I’ve never seen such a good deal and I agreed.

I paid by card in the waiting room, they don’t hide how much you pay, bloke in before me paid over 4k, I paid 2, he must have been gutted.

So, go for an tester session and hold out till they give you the deal you want!

Ps, don’t leave all the drops In the bag on the floor when you leave and have to pay £50 for taxi to get it to you, THAT would be stupid….

I had mine done last year (wavefront LASIK), no dramas, very little discomfort and I drove home afterwards (didn’t tell them about that though…) £2300 i think it was.

The scalpels weren’t rusty that I recall 😉 I can’t remember which type I had but it was the older style one (and wavefront stuff was only just coming in so wasn’t using that either) but I actually wanted that anyway as although the recovery was more painful (a day in bed not wanting any light near me and a couple of days of sand-papery eyes) the side-effects were supposedly less. I did have a bit of haloing at night for a few months (like when you come out of a swimming pool at night) and occasional light-sensitive episodes driving to work in the morning (I still hate people sitting on their brakes at traffic lights to this day, made my eye stream when I have an ‘episode’) it was only once a month at most for the first year though and hasn’t happened since.
I’m glad I hadn’t watched Final Destination 5 beforehand though 😉

I had wavefront lasik about 7 years ago. Took a few years to settle down properly (halos, mild double vision etc) but I had 20/20 vision within a week. I’d recommend it to anyone. Forgotten the name of the company but it was on Shaftsbury Ave central London, one of the well known names like optical express… the surgeon had done 600ish eyes before mine.

For quite some time (years) after its possible to dislodge the IK flap but long term it becomes pretty bonded back in place.

Been thinking of this for a while and the 4 people I know personally who have had it done are very happy with the results.

I need to have the most expensive treatment apparently to reduce any possibility of ‘haloing’ (driving at night, emergency service requirement apparently) but I get irritated at the ever increasing discounts the longer I put it off! Not good practice for a company offering medical procedures IMO.

Forgotten the name of the company but it was on Shaftsbury Ave central London, one of the well known names like optical express…

It is Optical Express I think, my girlfriend had her eyes done there. The difference was like night and day apparently, no complications either. It was a few hours of not really being able to keep her eyes open, but the next day she was fine. 20/20 vision now.

Weirdly I’ve not met an ophthalmologist who would have laser surgery. Just sayin’

Some good thoughts here, thanks everyone. I guess there’s no such thing as a completely 100% guaranteed safe procedure, there will always be horror stories and near misses.
I like the point about reducing recovery time though, maybe you buy new laser gun wotsits rather than 2nd hand ones with a bit of mileage. I’d prefer everything working spot on and accurate, I value my eyesight above almost all else, certainly not going to the lowest bidder.

I had the really rusty scalpel version done about 10 years ago… perhaps a bit more now. It was old skool Russian technology where they just go at your eyeball with a laser gun. None of this corneal flap stuff or wavefronts.

Proper hardcore it was – hurt like a fatherless child once the anesthetic wore off, and continued to do so for a week. Having had both eyes done at the same time I was more or less blind for a week!

Many years later though I still have spot on eyesight, so I can’t complain really. And I don’t – £400 well spent 😉

I had mine done at St James’s in Leeds – worth every penny, at work next day and never had a problem.
Be interesting to know who drookitmunter and johndoh had their surgery done by, be useful to know in order to avoid.

I just had wavefront LASIK on Tuesday, cost about 3.5 k Euro. On Wednesday I had 20 20 in left eye and half point down in right and improving ( 24 Hr after surgery ). I work in a hospital and had it done by surgeons I was familiar with. At the moment my vision is slightly hazy and see a small amount on glare around bright lights, which they tell me will abate after some weeks of healing. Also my eyes are quite dry, so am using drops at a rate of knots. I am impressed with how quickly my eyes improved, and do believe it is a good procedure – however, I will truly be in a position to say fairly after some weeks allowing my eyes to settle.

I would strongly advise anyone to get the best and most reputable eye clinic you can, one which deals with not just laser correction but also eye injury’s and surgery ect. Experience counts…

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSk1-F0ahg4[/video]

MrsMCTD had hers done privately at Moorfields in London 3 years ago – mates rates as an old VSO colleague works in the private clinic. She has NEVER revealed what it cost, though one day I will use this during a bike purchase related argument….

Anyway, her prescription went from -8.5 to -0.5. She was legal to drive with no glasses after 48 hours. No residual pain or problems, but she religiously followed the instructions she was given.

She swears blind (Ho!ho!) that it is the best thing she has done – she can get up in the night to deal with crying kids without fumbling for her glasses, she wakes every morning to see the face of her husband from the moment she opens her eyes…

She wants me to get my eyes done as well. No effing way is anyone slicing my eyeball open while I am conscious. No effing way! I’d sooner have another vasectomy.