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Laser Eye treatment...anyone had it done.

ButtonMonkey

ButtonMonkey

Trekker
Well it's been 2 years since my mate had it done and he can still see so I've decided to look into having it done myself.

Anyone else been and done it, who did you use and were you happy with the service?

I have an appointment with Ultralase on 12th of Feb but was thinking I may well see a couple of other companies before I decide on who to go with.
 
I haven't but a former colleague did and seemed pretty pleased with it at the time. She had it done on the NHS - don't forget if you are not happy with it there is no formal complaints procedure in the private sector. Have you asked about NHS - not suggesting you are penniless but private isn't always better, although maybe faster.....Kate
 
adrianandkate said:
I haven't but a former colleague did and seemed pretty pleased with it at the time. She had it done on the NHS - don't forget if you are not happy with it there is no formal complaints procedure in the private sector. Have you asked about NHS - not suggesting you are penniless but private isn't always better, although maybe faster.....Kate
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Unfortunatly I'm not a disabled, lesbian from a minority so I am able to take no advantage of the NHS.

Sorry if that sounds racist or homophobic or just bitter, but having just spent £2500 with the private sector and another £3000 to go to have some moles removed that are boarder line because the NHS would only remove them if they became a problem (i.e. melignant) I have no paitence or faith in our NHS, and there was me always thinking prevention is better than cure.
 
ButtonMonkey said:
I have no paitence or faith in our NHS, and there was me always thinking prevention is better than cure.
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The NHS is reducing the number of doctors and nurses and increasing the management strength in order to remove that hinderance to its business. The plan to have no patients in the NHS too.:D

I'd love to have it done, but m now allowed by the CAA. I still have worries about its reliability - I had a 1 hour eye test which resulted in a completely wrong prescription. My glasses were useless, but at least I could get them replaced... Curiously, that happened at Boots, who have one of the worst laser treatment records.
 
thats the only thing stopping me doing it, if they fook it up you are knakered, all the people I know who have had it done say do it but if sh1t happens, it happens to me :rolleyes:
 
ButtonMonkey said:
Ahh, didnt realise the CAA don't alow it.

I'm currently going for my PPL better check that this isn't going to get in the way.
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You'd have a Class 3 under the old system, but I haven't done any PPL instruction in over eight years, and I think you now need a Class 2. I don't think they'll permit laser eye treatment, but I'm not sure, given that you'd be flying as a leisure activity.
 
Two of my friends have paid to have it done and are pleased with the results. However, one of them says she has a slight twinkling star effect with bright lights such as car headlamps when driving at night.

Me, I'll stick to my contact lenses.

Angela
 
theoldtrout said:
Two of my friends have paid to have it done and are pleased with the results. However, one of them says she has a slight twinkling star effect with bright lights such as car headlamps when driving at night.

Me, I'll stick to my contact lenses.

Angela
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I can't do contacts. 14 hrs a day in front of the PC and contacts just do not go together :(
 
ButtonMonkey said:
Well it's been 2 years since my mate had it done and he can still see so I've decided to look into having it done myself.

Anyone else been and done it, who did you use and were you happy with the service?

I have an appointment with Ultralase on 12th of Feb but was thinking I may well see a couple of other companies before I decide on who to go with.
Click to expand...

sorry can you use a larger font can't quiet make this thread out are u selling laser sights? got a rat (may be a cat) can't quiet see it that I want to shoot. just got back from the eye clinic after having laser treatment can't see a bl**dy thing.
 
A mate of mine had it done a couple of years ago.
He was hopeing to join the met but failed on the eye exam.

Had the surgery done a passed with flying colours
 
I was majorly myopic (short sighted). Unfortunately was unsuited to contact lenses although I tried many different types. I had Lasek on both eyes three years ago. Since then I've had better than 20/20 vision. Brilliant. Can now wear ordinary sunglasses!

I also did lots of reading up before committing myself. From all my research I discovered that the number of people who went blind because of the surgery was...

...

...

...

zero.

The worst thing that could happen if the operation went wrong was that I would have to wear glasses for the rest of my life.

Er, no change there then!!

So my experience was as follows: No general anaesthetic. They put some anaesthetic drops in your eye (you're in a comfortable dentist-type chair), then the most unpleasant bit is that they clamp your eyelids open (doesn't hurt, just a bit uncomfortable and typically that's just when you want to start blinking). They then fit a sort of pressure thingy (called a microkeratome if you want to know) to your eye (because of the pressure your vision in that eye goes completely black) while they cut the cornea and lift the flap, so you don't actually see, hear or feel anything.

Then they remove the microkeratome, your vision returns and you need to concentrate on the centre of an illuminated red cross. You hear a tick tick tick tick noise which is the laser ablating (burning away) a layer of your cornea. They then put some more drops in and lower the flap which they cut (from my point of view this looked exactly like it did when I was putting a contact lens in.)

They then did the other eye. A total of about 10 minutes. They then patch you up with protective goggles and tell you to go home and sleep.

The next morning I returned for a checkup, was told NOT to rub my eyes at all for a week, goggles were removed, and that afternoon I was driving.

Gosh, the experience of waking up in the morning "I CAN SEE!!!" without having to wear glasses - even now three years later it's only when I see photos of myself wearing glasses that I remember I had the surgery.

Best money I ever spent.
 
There have been instances where patients have ended up with blurred, milky or "cracked" vision, like looking through broken glass.

There are several different types of surgery, some better than others. I understand that it works best on those with the worst vision, and those with weak prescriptions have less beneficial results. My glasses aren't strong - I only wear them for flying, driving at night and in the cinema - and I have been told that I wouldn't get much improvement from treatment. Maybe that was just a brush off when they found out my profession.
 
seriesowner said:
Gosh, the experience of waking up in the morning "I CAN SEE!!!" without having to wear glasses - even now three years later it's only when I see photos of myself wearing glasses that I remember I had the surgery.

Best money I ever spent.
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I had it done about four and a half years ago, and I agree with everything seriesowner says, but I'll add that I think it was nothing short of a life-changing miracle for me.

BTW, some friends of mine in England wanted the surgery, and it turned out that they could fly to SA, have the surgery at the best clinic in the country, and have a short safari, for about the same cost as just the surgery in the UK. They did just that, and had a great holiday here.

Marc
 
Marc Lurie said:
BTW, some friends of mine in England wanted the surgery, and it turned out that they could fly to SA, have the surgery at the best clinic in the country, and have a short safari, for about the same cost as just the surgery in the UK. They did just that, and had a great holiday here.
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Now THAT's a Cunning Plan. Wish I'd thought of it; mine worked out at about £1k per eye, let's see now that makes, er, a total of ... let me get me calculator:D
 
Marc Lurie said:
I had it done about four and a half years ago, and I agree with everything seriesowner says, but I'll add that I think it was nothing short of a life-changing miracle for me.

BTW, some friends of mine in England wanted the surgery, and it turned out that they could fly to SA, have the surgery at the best clinic in the country, and have a short safari, for about the same cost as just the surgery in the UK. They did just that, and had a great holiday here.

Marc
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SA have some very skilled optometrist indeed. The head of the British Institute of Optometry in London is a South African called David Harrisberg and has a practice in Hempstead. He was the Deputy Chief Instructor at the club where I was a Flight Instructor -he's one of the nicest blokes you'd ever meet.
 
seriesowner said:
Now THAT's a Cunning Plan. Wish I'd thought of it; mine worked out at about £1k per eye, let's see now that makes, er, a total of ... let me get me calculator:D
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£1000 per eye is £2000 which translates to about R28,500-00. My operation, which was done by arguably the foremost surgeon in the country was R12,000 for both eyes plus about R1,500 for extras, so that'd be about £950 all in.

My friends did the whole medical safari thingy: Laser eye op, general medical checkup, gynaecological check-up, dental check-up and tooth polishing, oil change, radiator test, tyre pressure test etc...

And then they spent 10 days in a lovely lodge in the bush to "recuperate" :) ie. Drink gin and tonic and eat too much good food. :D
 
Snagger said:
SA have some very skilled optometrist indeed.
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Not to be overly pedantic Nick, but optometrists in SA are not allowed to do Lasic surgery. Only opthalmologists are authorised to do them. However, you are quite correct that we have excellent optometrists here. My step-dad's one of them. :)
 
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