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- Joined
- 2 Jan 2011
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- 147
Hello! Just wanted to post about my experience with laser eye surgery incase anyone out there is considering getting it, etc. I have worn glasses since I was 11 and contact lenses since I was 18. However, in recent years I have been getting very dry eyes with my contact lenses and I had been saving money for some time so decided to take the plunge!
I decided to go with Ultralase through researching them thoroughly and finding out about the different types of treatments that were available. I should note my prescription was about -7 in each eye which is very bad and my glasses were like bottle caps!
Consultation
Arrived at my consultation and immediately the staff were very friendly and informative about what would be going on throughout the consultation. First up was routine checks on your eyes which you'd get going for a regular check-up at your optician. They also check everything about your eyes from the shape to the general health of your eyes to determine if you are eligible for the treatment and which treatment would be best suited.
After the pre-tests had been done I took a seat back in the waiting room (free tea and coffee) and was soon called in to go through more checks, reading letters, which circle seems clearer, etc. Then came time for the drops! They use the drops to again determine the health of your eyes and to make your pupils get larger, this can make your vision very blurry and sensitive to light so please note you shouldn't drive for a couple of hours after the consultation.
The consultation went well considering I had a very high prescription and I was deemed eligible for the treatment! The treatment I was recommended was Lasik Ultra Plus. Now there are two types of treatment you can go through...
So everything was explained about what would happen on the treatment day, got everything booked and had the surgery 2 weeks later.
Day of Surgery
Ahh the day of the surgery, soon I would be glasses/contact lense free. Funnily enough I slept like a baby the night before but the nerves really kicked in on the train down to the Ultralase branch. Now one thing to note is you should take someone with you as you will not be able to drive or see all that clearly after the surgery. I took a friend with me who decided to ask me "What was that blind superhero called?" whilst I was in a state of panic before the surgery. I quickly responded "Daredevil." and shot an evil glare.
My nerves were soon put at ease as the staff were very friendly and supportive, there to answer questions and any concerns I had. I met with my surgeron who was extremely professional and I couldn't fault him at all. We had a one-on-one discussion about how the treatment would go and he obviously went through all the risks with the procedure. He stated the following:
So after signing a declaration that I had been made aware of the risks and was happy to go ahead I was taken into a room with a nurse who went through prescription drops I would have to take for a little over a week post-op. She then administered some anaesthetic drops in my eyes to numb them and so I wouldn't really have the urge to blink during the procedure. Also had iodine spread around my eyes. All that was left was to get zapped...
Surgery
Nurses helped me onto the operating table and I was placed under the machine. The table pivots between two machines and they always start with the right eye. The surgeon used a tool to clamp my eye open by prying my eyelids apart (it sounds gross but could barely feel them doing it, you just feel like your eye is open really wide, which it is I suppose!). On the first machine a suction ring is placed onto your eye, now I temporarily lost my vision but this is normal with it being a suction ring and comes back as soon as the suction ring is taken off. Then a laser cuts a flap in the cornea, the suction ring is removed and I am moved to the machine that will be doing the vision correction. The surgeon moves my flap to the side and at this point my vision went very weird, like I was under water. I was asked to focus on the red blob of light followed by the laser initiating. Now when the laser is doing it's thing you are only under it for about 30 seconds but you can smell burning. It smells a little like burnt hair but this is completely pain free.
The lasering finishes, the surgeon folds my corneal flap back onto place and it is on to the left eye! I knew what to expect on this one so I was more aware of what was happening, I winced a bit when the suction ring was applied and my eye moved a bit when the flap was being cut. It is extremely important you keep still especially when the flap is being cut. The surgeon checked he had a clear cut of my flap and gave the go ahead to continue. So he performed the procedure on my left eye, put the flap back and his nurses applied my first set of eye drops.
At this point my eyes were shut as they cleaned off the iodine from around my eyes and asked me to shuffle down the bed. I didn't dare open my eyes but when I did... I could see. It was very hazy and cloudy but my vision was clear for the first time in years.
After the Surgery
I was taken into a nice relaxing dark room with a recliner chair, some relaxing music and sat there for about 10 minutes to let my eyes settle. I could already read posters that were 7 feet away where as before I couldn't see anything 3 inches away! They brought my friend down to escort me home and by this point my eyes were stinging!! They were streaming like crazy but one final check up with the surgeon that the flaps were sitting nicely I was free to go. I put my sunglasses on (you'll need them, you'll be very sensitive to light) and made my way to the train station, making out street signs and things so far in the distance I was even shocking my friend who had trouble reading them and he doesn't even need glasses. All I wanted to do was sleep, and sleep I did when I got home. When I woke up that evening my vision had improved yet again and I could see everything so vividly.
Aftercare
The next working day I went back for a check up just to make sure everything was in order and to do a quick eye-test. The optician said I had 20/20 vision so I was extremely happy! I had beaten the odds about the risks the surgeon made me aware of prior to the treatment and wouldn't need retreatment. My eyes weren't dry either!
So here I am. 9 days on from my surgery and I have perfect vision. No longer need glasses and/or contact lenses. The focusing on computer screens/books has taken some getting used to but that is completely normal as the cornea is slightly reshaped in Lasik surgery. So there you have my experience with laser eye surgery should any of you ever need it or are currently considering it.
I sound like someone from an advert but having this done is changing my life, giving me that freedom and it was money well spent.
Total cost = £3590 (But worth every penny!)
I decided to go with Ultralase through researching them thoroughly and finding out about the different types of treatments that were available. I should note my prescription was about -7 in each eye which is very bad and my glasses were like bottle caps!
Consultation
Arrived at my consultation and immediately the staff were very friendly and informative about what would be going on throughout the consultation. First up was routine checks on your eyes which you'd get going for a regular check-up at your optician. They also check everything about your eyes from the shape to the general health of your eyes to determine if you are eligible for the treatment and which treatment would be best suited.
After the pre-tests had been done I took a seat back in the waiting room (free tea and coffee) and was soon called in to go through more checks, reading letters, which circle seems clearer, etc. Then came time for the drops! They use the drops to again determine the health of your eyes and to make your pupils get larger, this can make your vision very blurry and sensitive to light so please note you shouldn't drive for a couple of hours after the consultation.
The consultation went well considering I had a very high prescription and I was deemed eligible for the treatment! The treatment I was recommended was Lasik Ultra Plus. Now there are two types of treatment you can go through...
- Lasik - Through the use of an IntraLase Laser they cut a flap in your cornea, move it aside, then laser in to correct your vision. Once this has been done the flap is placed back into place like clingfilm and heals within 24 hours or so. This treatment is considered the best option as it is the least uncomfortable and generally suits patients with quite thick corneas.
- Lasek - Drops soften a layer of the cornea, a thin layer of the cornea is removed and the laser corrects the vision. After this a contact lense is applied for a week to allow the cornea to heal. This is the most uncomfortable treatment I hear.
So everything was explained about what would happen on the treatment day, got everything booked and had the surgery 2 weeks later.
Day of Surgery
Ahh the day of the surgery, soon I would be glasses/contact lense free. Funnily enough I slept like a baby the night before but the nerves really kicked in on the train down to the Ultralase branch. Now one thing to note is you should take someone with you as you will not be able to drive or see all that clearly after the surgery. I took a friend with me who decided to ask me "What was that blind superhero called?" whilst I was in a state of panic before the surgery. I quickly responded "Daredevil." and shot an evil glare.
My nerves were soon put at ease as the staff were very friendly and supportive, there to answer questions and any concerns I had. I met with my surgeron who was extremely professional and I couldn't fault him at all. We had a one-on-one discussion about how the treatment would go and he obviously went through all the risks with the procedure. He stated the following:
- I would most likely not get 20/20 vision due to my high prescription and I was considered just below the maximum they would operate on
- There will be a chance of me having to have retreatment incase it doesn't fully work, again due to my high prescription
- I would most likely get very dry eyes that I would have to treat with artificial tears for months after
So after signing a declaration that I had been made aware of the risks and was happy to go ahead I was taken into a room with a nurse who went through prescription drops I would have to take for a little over a week post-op. She then administered some anaesthetic drops in my eyes to numb them and so I wouldn't really have the urge to blink during the procedure. Also had iodine spread around my eyes. All that was left was to get zapped...
Surgery
Nurses helped me onto the operating table and I was placed under the machine. The table pivots between two machines and they always start with the right eye. The surgeon used a tool to clamp my eye open by prying my eyelids apart (it sounds gross but could barely feel them doing it, you just feel like your eye is open really wide, which it is I suppose!). On the first machine a suction ring is placed onto your eye, now I temporarily lost my vision but this is normal with it being a suction ring and comes back as soon as the suction ring is taken off. Then a laser cuts a flap in the cornea, the suction ring is removed and I am moved to the machine that will be doing the vision correction. The surgeon moves my flap to the side and at this point my vision went very weird, like I was under water. I was asked to focus on the red blob of light followed by the laser initiating. Now when the laser is doing it's thing you are only under it for about 30 seconds but you can smell burning. It smells a little like burnt hair but this is completely pain free.
The lasering finishes, the surgeon folds my corneal flap back onto place and it is on to the left eye! I knew what to expect on this one so I was more aware of what was happening, I winced a bit when the suction ring was applied and my eye moved a bit when the flap was being cut. It is extremely important you keep still especially when the flap is being cut. The surgeon checked he had a clear cut of my flap and gave the go ahead to continue. So he performed the procedure on my left eye, put the flap back and his nurses applied my first set of eye drops.
At this point my eyes were shut as they cleaned off the iodine from around my eyes and asked me to shuffle down the bed. I didn't dare open my eyes but when I did... I could see. It was very hazy and cloudy but my vision was clear for the first time in years.
After the Surgery
I was taken into a nice relaxing dark room with a recliner chair, some relaxing music and sat there for about 10 minutes to let my eyes settle. I could already read posters that were 7 feet away where as before I couldn't see anything 3 inches away! They brought my friend down to escort me home and by this point my eyes were stinging!! They were streaming like crazy but one final check up with the surgeon that the flaps were sitting nicely I was free to go. I put my sunglasses on (you'll need them, you'll be very sensitive to light) and made my way to the train station, making out street signs and things so far in the distance I was even shocking my friend who had trouble reading them and he doesn't even need glasses. All I wanted to do was sleep, and sleep I did when I got home. When I woke up that evening my vision had improved yet again and I could see everything so vividly.
Aftercare
The next working day I went back for a check up just to make sure everything was in order and to do a quick eye-test. The optician said I had 20/20 vision so I was extremely happy! I had beaten the odds about the risks the surgeon made me aware of prior to the treatment and wouldn't need retreatment. My eyes weren't dry either!
So here I am. 9 days on from my surgery and I have perfect vision. No longer need glasses and/or contact lenses. The focusing on computer screens/books has taken some getting used to but that is completely normal as the cornea is slightly reshaped in Lasik surgery. So there you have my experience with laser eye surgery should any of you ever need it or are currently considering it.
I sound like someone from an advert but having this done is changing my life, giving me that freedom and it was money well spent.
Total cost = £3590 (But worth every penny!)