Lazer eye treatment - Any one had it? Any opticians advise?

[spikemomma]

Has anyone had it Does it work? Are there any side affects? Would you go for it? How much is it?

Lots of questions which i hope you might be able to answer. x

[ChookKeeper]

Hi spikemomma I had Lasik Wavefront last October and have gone from a prescription of -5 to 20:20 vision. However this is with both eyes together, as they have left my right eye very slightly short sighed to delay the onset of needing reading glasses.

I can answer your questions but only wrt my own experience.

1. It worked for me (see above) and I'm glad I had it done.

1. The side effects I had are very common:

Very sensitive to light for the rest of the day after having the procedure.

Had to wear eyeshields in bed for a week (to stop eye rubbing in sleep).

No makeup for a week (and then I bought all new stuff to make sure it was clean).

Had to take seroid eye drops 3 or 4 times a day for first couple of weeks.

halos around car/street lights for some months afterwards.

Dry eyes for about 7 months (had to use artifical tears, especially when I was tired). This can be a long term problem if you already have dry eyes.

There are lots of things that can go wrong and you have to remember that it is a cosmetic procedure and you have to sign a really long (and quite frightening) disclaimer form before hand.

1. Mine cost £3k but I did negotiate them down from £3.5k.

The £350 per eye they quote on the TV ads is for those with such a small prescription that you wouldn't really need it TBH. I also paid for the flaps in my eyes to be cut with a laser rather than a blade as it gives a more even cut.

There are loads of forums where people post their expereinces if you look around.

I'd say have a few consultations with different companies to get a feel for them. Also find out how many procedures the surgeon has carried out of the type you are contemplating.

That's all I can think of for now but if you want to know about the actual procedure let me know and I'll give you the gory details .