Laser eye surgery

[MonkeyJuggleDX]

OK. So basically I'm sick of wearing glasses(Vanpeebles once said I looked like Neil Warnock ) and contacts are a no no due to me not liking things going near my eyes and it seems laser eye surgery is the most practical option.

I'd just like to know if anyone here has had it done, or knows anyone who has had it done. Also, I've seen the adverts 'From ?395 per eye'. Now my eyesight is pretty crap so prices are at the higher end of the scale?

Also, who is best to go with for the surgery and how long does it take? Is it a one time thing or do you have to go for multiple treatments? Is it painful?

Hope some of you can help me out here!

[Dogg Thang]

I would love laser eyes. And a shoulder cannon. I would totally rock.

[VR46]

From £395 is very vague, friend of the wife's went the other week for a consultation and was told it would be £1400 for both eyes and her pescription was only minus two or something, nothing major.

Know someone who has had it done and said is best thing since sliced bread, think she was in and out within about 90 minutes.

Would only go with one of the very well known companies, don't want your eyes being dabbled with with some spotty sixteen year old Tesco's Value service

Think the consulations are free, so worth going to a couple to compare service/prices if you're serious.

What is your pescription by the way, my son is mega short sighted.

[MonkeyJuggleDX]

What is your pescription by the way, my son is mega short sighted.

Not sure tbh as it's been so long since I had my eyes tested. However, 2ft from my computer monitor and everything is a blurry mess.

[Pilotwings]

I'm thinking about getting it done aswell. I would only get 1 eye done first just incase.

I even heard a doctor on tv saying it's best to get 1 eye done first.

[babs]

My missus had it done two years ago.

?395 per eye is the rock bottom price, we ended up paying ?1500 in all (interest free). Basically there's three ways you can have it done. The very original one where they fire the laser through the lens is pretty much outdated now and yields the worst results. The two most popular are called IK and EK. With both they make the cornea thinner to get a better focus on the retina, the difference is the way they do it. EK (lasek) uses a mild acid to burn away the outside of the cornea, IK (lasik) uses a tiny blade to cut a flap.

My other half went for IK, and it's not as horrible as it sounds. On the day you turn up and basically do a lot of waiting. When you go in they give you anesthetic eyedrops to freeze your eye in place, and then pop a contraption on your eye to cut the flap and peel it back. The laser shoots in, then they do the other eye. The whole process - from being called in to sitting in the 'recovery' room (basically a dark room) - took 10 minutes, tops. You don't really feel a thing (apparently) and you just have to be really careful for the next week or so. They give you goggles to wear in bed, and you go back the next morning for a checkup. When my missus had it done she was lasered at about 3 in the afternoon. By 8 that evening she could see perfectly, and at the checkup the next morning she had better than 20/20 vision.

You have to go for a few follow-up visits to your local place to see how the healing's going and make sure it's worked properly, but that's it. If you get the chance (and seeing as you're already spending) opt for the Wavefront thing too. With that they scan your eye to get a proper map of it, and the laser works to that. Without it they use a standard sort of prescription, so while it's still great, it's not the best.

We had it through Optical Express if it helps.

Feel free to ask any questions, I'll answer as best I can.

[vanpeebles]

OK. So basically I'm sick of wearing glasses(Vanpeebles once said I looked like Neil Warnock )

Haha that I did. Got you back for calling me Lupin all these years!

[Anpanman]

I've always been a bit wary, what if they destroy your eye?

Also don't you get halo's in your vision, particularly with say street lights at night time.

[EvilBoris]

I don't know who is better, but as my company are affiliated with them,I know that Ultralase are meant to be very good, they have scored tops on outside auditing for safety and various other things. They offer various different packages with various different "upgrades" available.

I've always been a bit wary, what if they destroy your eye?

Also don't you get halo's in your vision, particularly with say street lights at night time.

Due to the way that the LASIK method works, you are left with a circular scar on the cornea that can refract and diffuse light in unwanted ways, resulting in weird Halo's and reflections in certain light conditions.

One of the other common side effects is ending up with Dry eyes, again due to them cutting a flap in the Cornea, up to 60% of the nerves are severed. This means that your eyes don't deliver themselves with enough tears. Regular eyedrops/tear drop plugs being inserted to stop the tears draining away so quickly are 2 fairly common solutions to this problem.
What you have to remember is that the surgery can never guarantee bottom of the chart vision, you may find yourself with a small prescription after the precursor or worst case scenario end up with a prescription less tolerable than before.

I know a fair bit about the subject and I'm not overly keen on the techniques and the technologies involved currently. If I had to do it, I wouldn't go for it without whacking down the cash for the full package, there are many different options available all varying in price and I'd certainly be prepared to pay as much as £3000 per eye, as they are very precious to me.

[Pilotwings]

Also don't you get halo's in your vision, particularly with say street lights at night time.

I get that with street lights at night! why is bad or something?

[EvilBoris]

Is that with your glasses on though? A kind of blooming effect around light sources

[Pilotwings]

No I don't ware glasses. I don't have good sight though and was supposed to ware glasses since primary school but never did.

[EvilBoris]

That's probably just the lights being blurry then :P

[toythatkills]

Not sure tbh as it's been so long since I had my eyes tested. However, 2ft from my computer monitor and everything is a blurry mess.

Last time I had a look at this the criterea were that you had to be over 23 (IIRC) and also had to have had an unchanged prescription for at least 2 years, so you'll probably need to go for an eye test/find out if it's changed since the last one.

May have changed since but I can't imagine it would have

[EvilBoris]

It hasn't changed, your prescription has to of been stable for a decent time.