Flippin' "lasers"

Well after researching it extensively and speaking to one of the UK's leading professors of Visual Sciences who happens to be a friend of the family I decided to book myself in for a free consultation for laser eye surgery.

After my consultation which was great, bar the fact that they put eye drops that dilate your pupils which makes them look like you've had one too many "special brownies"... as well as adding a dye to to them for their scans, it seems that my eyes were perfectly suited for laser eye surgery. Yay!

Off on holiday I go and 2 months later I'm sat in the waiting room in Haley street waiting for my surgery at 930am... Probably the cleanest, neatest and most agreeable waiting room I've been in (but I haven't been in many for any sort of medical things).

Surprisingly I wasn't nervous, but the double espresso I had with breakfast was probably not wise as I was somewhat more excitable than I usually am. I definitely felt quite excited... but now looking back I remember my heart racing a little when lying down on the operating chair.

I had the Intralase with Waverfront treatment - which is the "creme de la creme" of treatment, ergo the most expensive. Hopwever as a result they were able to correct my astigmatism and also my myopia (short sightedness).

I was literally done in 10 mins - it was painless, and they gave you a running commentary, and explained everything, I felt really well look after and in good hands. The op room was clean, tidy, it was so so professional, v.impressed.

I was then taken to the recovery room, you're eyes are a bit blurry, and of course under a little bit of trauma but really even once the anaesthetic wore off I felt fine.

I've just had my post op checkup, and bar my left eye being every so slightly dry I have no swelling, bruising or trauma to the eye and it's already almost healed completely ( which is normal for the eye). However having had my eye tests I am better than 20/20 now which is just incredible. 15 years I've been wearing glasses, and now I don't have to. My eye sight is actually better than when I was wearing glasses. I have no pain, no "grittiness" and absolutely no discomfort at all.

I have to put antiseptic and anti inflammatory eye drops in every few hours, but really this is really hassle free. I can drive, I can see.. and I don't need glasses. Just wondering round the house is just so much easier and more comfortable, I don't need glasses any more to be able to see the tv for more than 2 meters away... I can see as far as the eye can see. This is just amazing. I'm in shock, but grinning from ear to ear as well!

Anybody thinking of doing it, do it. End of. Best money I've spent. Sure, it's cose me more than 2.5k which is a lot of money, but frankly since I've stepped away from the operation I've not had a moment's doubt.

It does mean I have to take it easy for a week, no sports, or showers, can't scrub my face or touch my eyes (not that I'd need to) - and you have to wear goggles for bed (again for a week) but they're perfectly comfortable. You eyes slowly stabilise over the next week to a month it just depends on the individual - I may even get better... but still better than 20/20 is more than good enough for me!

My astigmatism is no longer present, I have no halos or haziness in my vision, no grittiness or discomfort. I feel fan-bloody-tastic. Why didn't I do this sooner?! Well, a) because I couldn't afford it but also b) the technology now is so good and they were able to remove the imperfections in the eye. It's just incredible.

Awesome, do your eyes ever go back to how they were originally over time? (when you had to wear glasses I mean.)

That's awesome to hear, amazing how far technology has advanced!

I might do this once I've left university.

So need to go have a consultation been wanting it for ages and next year I might actually be able to afford it.

Everyone I know who's had it has loved it and all have 20/20 or better. it really is fascinating and a massive step forward compared to glasses and contacts.

Sounds like it was the perfect solution for you; 'grats on having perfect eyes now.

I think our eyesight is probably the most valuable thing we have on this planet; I couldn't imagine not having access to viewing all of lifes treaures.

awesome, would love to have it done if I could afford it, got a stigmatism in my eye too, and I'm allergic to the saline contact solution, which means I have to have peroxide....awesome lol

Freefaller - how much did you pay? Where exactly did you go? Got a full address?

My eyesight is the most important thing on my body and don't want some muppet in Suffolk/Norfolk from Specsavers blinding me!!!

Wow, good for you, sounds like it genuinely has improved your life a great amount. People say it quite often, but it's true, you really can't put a price on your health. Well, 2.5k, but you get the idea.

I'm lucky enough to have good vision now, but I know it's not as good as it used to be, so I suspect I'll be in glasses by the time I'm 30.

TaKeN said:

Awesome, do your eyes ever go back to how they were originally over time? (when you had to wear glasses I mean.)

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I was going to need reading glasses when I got old, would would have had to have vary/bifocals anyway, so until then I have a good 20 years of glasses free vision.

My prescription had been stable for 12 years (i.e. no changes) and my eyes had not sustained any damage or irregular shapes so the prospects are good - though the chances of needing reading glasses still exist.

Feek said:

Let's get the important stuff asked straight off, what was your prescription and what was the bottom line cost?

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-2.25 & -2.00 (OD, OS), Cylinder -1.25 (axis 90 I think) & -1.5 (120 axis).

Total cost was 1495 per eye - but I was able to get a £500 discount thanks to my family friend who referred me.

Definitely worth it IMO.

G|mp said:

Overclocked eyes, excellent.

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Indeed!

RandomTom said:

Sounds like it was the perfect solution for you; 'grats on having perfect eyes now.

I think our eyesight is probably the most valuable thing we have on this planet; I couldn't imagine not having access to viewing all of lifes treaures.

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I agree - sight is the most important thing ever. I'm young enough to still be able to enjoy activities where wearing glasses is a pain, so now I can keep at it without having to worry about contacts and glasses.

Would also be interested in where you had it done. I can imagine in the future this procedure would be as normal as having a brace to correct your teeth.

£2.5k is a small price to pay for perfect vision with no real side effects. I am also planning on looking into this at some point next year, I would really like to rid myself of glasses if at all possible. Two questions though; do you feel any pain while they are performing the procedure? Also, do you have to keep your eyes motionless while they do it?

AcidHell2 said:

So need to go have a consultation been wanting it for ages and next year I might actually be able to afford it.

Everyone I know who's had it has loved it and all have 20/20 or better. it really is fascinating and a massive step forward compared to glasses and contacts.

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Lots of people do free consultations, I had mine with Optical Express

Oxy said:

Freefaller - how much did you pay? Where exactly did you go? Got a full address?

My eyesight is the most important thing on my body and don't want some muppet in Suffolk/Norfolk from Specsavers blinding me!!!

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22 Harely Street, it's in the optical Express practice, but the surgery is also used for private customers, the surgeon I had worked at Morefields Eye Hospital - this is the place for eye medicine - so I Felt confident my surgeon knew what he was doing. Our professor friend also gave me the thumbs up for him so instilled even more confidence.

Sinque said:

That's awesome to hear, amazing how far technology has advanced!

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Indeed - it's nothing like the "regular" laser technology that was around 10-20 years ago, this is just the most incredible bit of technology I've ever seen. Even all the pre-examination tests are just so futuristic and amazing. Digital tech and optics at it's best.

So so impressed and absolutely ecstatic.

Sounds great. Just out of interest, where do they inject the anaesthetic, or don't I want to know? I thought having a needle shoved into my big toe was bad enough... not a lot of meat there and all.

Saundie said:

£2.5k is a small price to pay for perfect vision with no real side effects. I am also planning on looking into this at some point next year, I would really like to rid myself of glasses if at all possible. Two questions though; do you feel any pain while they are performing the procedure? Also, do you have to keep your eyes motionless while they do it?

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No pain at all, they put local anaesthetic drops in your eyes and you cannot feel a thing. You can even notice really what's going on anyway it happens quite quick and it's all out of your focus ability anyway. You're eye socket is held in place with a sort of clamp which obviously you can't feel, and the machine clicks down in place on the clamp and as such you don't feel anything. If you do somehow manage to twitch or move, the laser cuts out it happens a lot. It's very easy to keep still and you don't really feel the need to move - it takes 20s per eye, then the 2nd machine takes another 20s (if you go for the wavefront technology). Including pre work and the actual procedure you're in surgery for 20 mins max.

I have no pain now, no pain then. It's easy to keep your eyes still for a short period of time - I didn't even think about it, it was so so easy. The staff (the 2 nurses) were very helpful, they told you every step of the procedure, what's going on, what the noises are (the ticking of the laser for example, well more like heavy clunking!!). I felt very secure and comfortable.

Russinating said:

Sounds great. Just out of interest, where do they inject the anaesthetic, or don't I want to know? I thought having a needle shoved into my big toe was bad enough... not a lot of meat there and all.

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No injections - eye drops. It is so that you eye is numb so they can put the template/clamp thing in place so that your eye doesn't spasm during the op. It's really not gruesome and you don't feel a thing and can't really see what's happening.

My situation was almost identical to yours Freefaller.

Had Intralase with Wavefront done at Optical Express, cost £2,400 for both eyes. I was -2.75 and -2.5 with mild astigmatism in both eyes.

That was four months ago and my vision is two lines better than 20/20 and I am indescribably pleased with the results . I have particularly noticed that my night vision is better than it ever was before.

Things that people with good vision probably take for granted but that make me happy as larry every time I think about it:

- wake up in the morning and see everything pin sharp straight away, no hunting for lenses or glasses
- lie on your side on the bed or sofa and watch TV without your glasses interfering with your ears pressing against the pillow / cushion
- open your eyes underwater yet still able to see clearly when you put your head out of the water again
- not having to pack crap loads of contact lens and glasses paraphernalia when you go away for the weekend or on holiday
- eyes are brighter and look healthier than when I was wearing contacts
- glasses are PITA. Aside from the cosmetic issues, there are practical issues such as them sliding down your nose when you get sweaty if exercising, being upside down under a car and they keep falling off, and glasses steaming up or getting smudged in the rain

etc. etc...the benefits go on and on. I would have paid twice as much to have mine done, I'm that pleased.

Were there any sharks with these lasers?