Anyone had laser eye treatment?

[WaxOnFeckOff]

DS1 (19) currently considering it and had an assessment and been deemed suitable. Because of his prescription etc he's been quoted £5.5k. It's a lot of money but potentially life changing.

What's your view/experience if you've had it done?

It does sound as if laser treatment is going to be the best option for your DS, OP. One of my kids struggled with very dry eyes with contact lenses for years, but luckily his eyes improved, & he manages ok now with daily disposables when he needs them (eg for sport)

I didn’t have laser treatment, but did have surgical lens replacement, getting on for 20 years ago. My prescription was -10, I also had progressive astigmatism at upwards of -5, & my lenses had deteriorated to the point where everything was yellow.

At that time focusing replacement lenses weren’t an option, & I came out of it with superb distance vision but needed correction for both near & middle distance, so I’ve had (very expensive) varifocals ever since.

Since then my corneas have continued to alter - distance vision has deteriorated, but I can now (barely) function with both near & middle distance without glasses if I have to.

I do wonder whether, with my peculiar eyes, laser surgery would have needed similar correction later as the corneas continued to change, or if the laser treatment prevents further changes

I had it done in South Africa 20 years ago while I was travelling. It was and still is amazing. At the time it would have cost £3k per eye, and I had it done at the Pretoria Eye Institute for something like £750. My vision is still 20/20.

His eyes are no longer dry unless he wears contacts though he did say they can be dry when he wakes up but are fine within a short time.

I did say he had had roaccutaine but i'm concerned they didn't ask when. It was more than 6 months ago and whilst his skin isn't perfectly clear , I don't think he's be up for round 3.

It was a high street provider but there aren't many other options where we are. I would like a 2nd opinion but might have to travel a fair way to get one.

The £5.5k is both eyes and that's Optical Express. that's for the iDesign iLasik

Not laser but my DD has had lens replacement and is very happy with the results.

OP I have just been looking into this so I hope you won’t mind if I ask a question

I’ve seen some places say you need a stable prescription for one year, others say for two. Does anyone know which is correct or does it depend on the provider?

I’ve had glasses for a year so due to check up again. Short sighted with astigmatism, 43. I find glasses a pain and couldn’t do contacts at all.

The flap thing sounds scary!

Autumn, i'm sure someone more knowledgable than me will come along, but from what I've read so far, I think you are more likely to be a candidate for lens replacement rather than laser at your age. That way I think they can also correct for presbyopia (one lens distance and the other close?) at the same time which is your reading type vision which starts to deteriorate in your 40s.

I wear varifocal contacts for that reason :)

Not a good idea! Do basic exercises with your eyes to strengthen the muscles around each eye and practice sharpening your focus by focusing on near and far objects. Eyeexerciser app (apps.apple.com/gb/app/eye-exerciser-free-eye-training/id1147661662) is a useful free app and a Brock string is useful for giving you feedback on how your basic focusing is improving

OP thanks

I’m short sighted though? Or do they assume varifocals at a certain age? My dad got up to 78 with just being short sighted from a similar age.

I had it two years ago (the type I had was called iDesign which was the most expensive) and I've had problems with my eyesight ever since. My eyes are so dry that I sometimes have to literally peel them open in the morning to put drops in them (honestly it's kinda disgusting...), I have VERY variable levels of sight during the day (I'm a teacher and some days by the end of the day I can't see my own board from the back of the classroom) and I struggle to drive at night. I've been to see the opticians over 10 times since they did the correction and I've had top up surgery but nothing is fixing it. I'm not really sure how to progress. Even although it sounds terrible, it only actually affects my life on some days so it's not absolutely horrific...but given the opportunity to go back and not do it Is take that option. The opticians will not give me any compensation as every time I go they say that my vision is better than 2020 and will not accept that there is significant variation day to day.

Prior to surgery I had slightly dry eyes and -3.5 prescription.

I think night driving is a different issue. I really struggle at night since i've gotten older but that's not related to laser surgery.

Sorry to hear about people who've been having issues :(

I'm thinking that we might need to get another view but it's difficult because obvs the people who can assess are also the ones who are trying to sell the surgery. I have a good independent optician but she will be unlikely to assess suitability I presume as she isn't in that game?

It was Optical Express that I used to work for @WaxOnFeckOff. My clinic used to allow you to meet the surgeon before you committed to the treatment if you had any concerns or doubts. Perhaps ask them if this is an option?

Also, did they offer any sort of discounted price? This was fairly common practice in my clinic especially for those proceeding with the enhanced treatment. If you and your DS decide to go ahead then I would be tempted to try and negotiate a reduced price. My clients used to say that they had a budget of X when the treatment cost Y. I was then in a position to discuss with my Regional Manager who would almost always offer a discount. Usually 10% - 25%.

Definitely get another view from a qualified eye surgeon (not all from high street clinics are). I used David Allamby at Focus Clinics in London who is one of the best now only doing laser after being a consultant at Moorfields eye hospital. A lot of people from my office have been to see him and they have turned away as many people as they accepted for not being suitable. From your previous post it sounds like you're not near London but given how much you'd be spending and how many eye issues your son has it would definitely be worth investing a bit of time and money finding a good surgeon.

My BF has LASIK 12 years ago. In hindsight it wasn’t appropriate for his eyes.

He has blepharitis and eyes that are so dry that he has to use heated eye bags twice a day and drops throughout the day and night and even this doesn’t control it.

His night vision is appalling and he can’t cope with changes from dark to light, light to dark well and gets bad headaches. He can’t make out faces well and doesn’t notice if I’m waving to him out the window as he just can’t focus properly. He gets halos and terrible glare at night and can’t go to the theatre or football matches and enjoy the experience.

He regrets ever having it done. His eyes are so dry no one will re-treat him to try improve his symptoms. It has wrecked his life. I know his is a rare case and the majority of people are happy with the results but there can be awful side effects sometimes. He has had dry eye treatments at specialist clinics but nothing has helped.

F2Learn let me guess you are also a big believer in homeopathy

I have had lasik and worked for a short time in a clinic specialising in laser!

It does all come down to the individual eye - prescription, corneal thickness, pre existing eye problems etc

My advice see an ophthalmologist who is a specialist in laser/cornea as they will give you appropriate advice and not just see the £££

Mine has been perfect since I had it done over 16 years ago but I went in knowing I had an ideal prescription (low to moderate myopia) and healthy eyes !

OP - The not asking about the medication worried me slightly as well.

Optical Express are absolutely fine when it comes to low-medium prescriptions, their machinery is great and surgeons fine, but some Optometrists can wash slightly over the potential complications.

I'd either go down to London and see these people
[https://www.londonvisionclinic.com] Or wait a couple of years.

@Sylvestre - there are a couple of new treatments for dry eye that your boyfriend may not have tried, including drops that are made from your own blood serum. Get him to ask for a referral to a major eye centre to their dry eye clinic. Moorfields is best if you're London based.

@F2Learn - Brock strings are used to strengthen eye muscles where there is suppression/convergence insufficiency or a uncompensated phobia.

Myopia is due to steepened corneal curvature, an elongated eye or occasionally the shape of the lens in the eye. Occasionally it can be due to the lens overfocusing, but a Brock string wouldn't help in that situation as the zonules that hold the lens in place are not muscles.

It's never a good idea to post on things that you aren't knowledgeable on.

They assessed his corneal thickness etc and said it was good and his eyes are healthy.

Bubbly, I asked if there was a student discount but they said not officially, initially seemed to only want to enquire about possible discounts if I actually booked, then relented and phoned regional manager and offered a couple of hundred off or to maybe extend the payment term. They did say that if we booked a short term appointment, further discounts might be available.

They were obviously keen for us to book then and there but obviously no on e is making a decision like that without further research and I'm not committing to paying out that kind of money without DH either.

We do okay, but we are not rich and currently supporting both DSs through uni before we can retire. This money would be my savings for a new kitchen.

@F2Learn

You really think exercising their eyes will make a lot of people simply not need glasses?

Oh, and advance apologies as I might not get back to this thread much today, DS2 heads back to uni tomorrow and there's a lot to do including a meal out to meet his new girlfriend....

underneatheash thank you I will pass that on. He’s been to various clinics in London but not sure treatment using your own serum has been mentioned.

I had it done 9 years ago. I had a high prescription and big pupils. I went to a high street clinic but did ask to meet the surgeon. My big concerns as @underneaththeash mentions were night vision problems. The surgeon was pretty blase about it but did eventually suggest only getting one eye at a time done if I was worried (he obviously thought it was unnecessary to be that cautious).

I decided to go ahead and only do one eye as I couldn't see any real downsides to taking it more slowly. I had very significant night vision problems after the surgery - but with them only impacting one eye my brain rapidly learned to correct for it and I have no problems driving at night. Immediately after surgery my vision was 20/20 but it fairly rapidly regressed to about -1.5. I ended up cancelling the operation for the 2nd eye due to the night vision issues in my 1st. I can also tell me treated eye is a lot dryer, not enough to need drops but I think I'd struggle with contact lenses.

I have absolutely no regrets - having one eye at -1.5 has fixed the things that I found really difficult about being badly short sighted. I can see enough to not be helpless without glasses - for example I can go swimming and recognise people. I think I'd really regret it if I'd had both eyes done at once with the night vision problems. Maybe one eye at a time is something your DD could consider?

The only other thing to check would be whether your DS's prescription is likely to change again given he is only 19 - mine kept getting worse until about age 23 and I was told that was very common.

Don't feel rushed and do be prepared to travel - you want to be sure you're getting the best advice and (if you go ahead) the best treatment. (I travelled 200 miles to get treated at Moorfields by David Gartry.)

is it normal to pay for consultation? Thanks.

Re varifocals, I was wearing these before my surgery and still had laser surgery. They corrected one eye for distance and one for reading. It’s called blended eye surgery I think. I do occasionally need a few seconds to focus when reading but am told this will improve over time as it’s just my brain learning to interpret the signals - they warned me beforehand it could be up to 3 months before I felt the full benefits and I’m only 3 weeks post surgery so am not concerned yet. My distance vision is now really good.